All Blog Posts Tagged 'Japan' - Atheist Nexus2017-12-14T02:46:26Zhttp://atheistnexus.org/profiles/blog/feed?tag=Japan&xn_auth=noJerry Brown – Fear of the Lord or the Here and Now?tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-12-11:2182797:BlogPost:27825192017-12-11T14:00:39.000ZLoren Millerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/LorenMiller
<p>On Sunday, 10 December, 2017, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-governor-whos-castigating-the-president-on-climate-change/">CBS News <em>60 Minutes</em></a> interviewed California governor Jerry Brown. This interview, while dealing with multiple subjects, led off with Brown’s strong disagreement with President Trump regarding climate change. Brown’s attitude, considering the current spate of wildfires ravaging his state, and the correlation to causes associated with climate change,…</p>
<p>On Sunday, 10 December, 2017, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-governor-whos-castigating-the-president-on-climate-change/">CBS News <em>60 Minutes</em></a> interviewed California governor Jerry Brown. This interview, while dealing with multiple subjects, led off with Brown’s strong disagreement with President Trump regarding climate change. Brown’s attitude, considering the current spate of wildfires ravaging his state, and the correlation to causes associated with climate change, is fully understandable. “Nature is not a political game,” the governor correctly asserts early on, but then he followed with this statement:<br/> <br/> <em>I don’t think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility…</em><br/> <br/> Later in the report, we learn that Jerry Brown was once a Jesuit seminarian, which is clearly a strong portion of where such a “fear of god” might originate. The problem is that:</p>
<ol>
<li>Expecting Donald Trump to have a fear of much of anything, let along some form of supreme being is likely overreaching, and</li>
<li>It doesn’t take a fear of god to have a proper apprehension for the current environmental state of our planet.</li>
</ol>
<p> That said, the following was just submitted to CBS News’ feedback site:<br/> <br/> <em>While I appreciate your</em> 60 Minute<em>s interview with Jerry Brown, his candor and passion for his state and its current plight, his suggestion that President Trump lacks the fear of some supernatural being and that such might put him in better touch with this planet’s current ecological state was problematic and misleading. As a conscientious citizen, I want to act in a fashion which furthers my own desires, but not at the expense of the planet I reside on. Further, as a graduate engineer, I recognize that the research is in, and that anthropogenic climate change is a fact, albeit a fact that is contested outside of the scientific community, and usually among those who have short-term financial gains in play. Finally, as an atheist, I see no god involved but do perceive the actions and consequences humankind has had on our home and the pressing need for correction.<br/><br/></em><em>I would suggest to Governor Brown that fear of a deity that repeatedly fails to show itself is less persuasive to those like Trump than the recognition that our planet’s future is in question, that his children and mine will be the inheritors of our action or lack thereof.</em></p>On Truthtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-12-06:2182797:BlogPost:27822232017-12-06T16:32:13.000ZDonald R Barberahttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/drbarbera
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;">I've been gone for a while searching for experiences to enlighten myself in search of answers. My wife and I went to Jerusalem, Eygpt, and Tunisia. Talking with the people was exciting and at the same time sad. We have it so good in the United States.…<strong><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/pig684k37vKyfRblG1IdGMJZcOksARrxK*ZueIyuNFwzx0*Z5H7K*G**1FOZJi5neSi-N9k3KgrcbXZU4tC2eXMyZqJ6QKTw/oscarwilde12x.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/pig684k37vKyfRblG1IdGMJZcOksARrxK*ZueIyuNFwzx0*Z5H7K*G**1FOZJi5neSi-N9k3KgrcbXZU4tC2eXMyZqJ6QKTw/oscarwilde12x.jpg?width=600" width="600"></img></a></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;">I've been gone for a while searching for experiences to enlighten myself in search of answers. My wife and I went to Jerusalem, Eygpt, and Tunisia. Talking with the people was exciting and at the same time sad. We have it so good in the United States.<strong><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/pig684k37vKyfRblG1IdGMJZcOksARrxK*ZueIyuNFwzx0*Z5H7K*G**1FOZJi5neSi-N9k3KgrcbXZU4tC2eXMyZqJ6QKTw/oscarwilde12x.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/pig684k37vKyfRblG1IdGMJZcOksARrxK*ZueIyuNFwzx0*Z5H7K*G**1FOZJi5neSi-N9k3KgrcbXZU4tC2eXMyZqJ6QKTw/oscarwilde12x.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center"/></a></strong></span></p>
<p>On Truth</p>
<p><em>The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones." Act 3, scene ii of</em> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar_(play)"><em>Julius Caesar</em></a> <em>by</em> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare"><em>William Shakespeare</em></a></p>
<p>In searching for the truth be careful which rocks are turned, what closets are opened and to be careful of awakening any dogs in a slumber; and, if possible remember that truth has no hidden agendas or magnetic preferences. That is to say, be careful, because often what one finds in their search is a truth better left unvisited or unsaid, as truth wears many cloaks and can be found almost anywhere. It is hidden in the cold depths of a killer’s heart, as well as, in the first breaths of a newborn child. It is found amongst the privileged class just as it is found among the poor whose only goal is survival.</p>
<p>Understand that truth is a duality; yet, with no difference. If there is any it is the difference between water and ice; molecularly they are the same but ice makes a much tougher reality. Clearly, the truth is sometimes both a thing of beauty; hiding the misshapen monstrosity of reality; for when the truth is close to home it is ugly and hideous, but nonetheless, it is the truth. It is the same truth that is beautiful to those viewing it from a more pleasant perspective. If there is anything sad about the truth, it is that within our hearts we know it to be so, but the vain artifice of society and egotism makes us blind to its light.</p>
<p>Most have no need to be persuaded of the truth. The truth provides its own persuasion in reality. It needs no one to carry its banner, to glorify its name or bow before it. The truth is the truth--nothing more and nothing less. It is unchanging. It is written about but nowhere is it written except in reality's slate. Though many seek it, it has no favorite, no chosen few and no preferred state. The truth is a quest or journey from fear and ignorance to understanding and reality.</p>
<p>Truth is an intangible reality that must be grasped with the mind as well as the hands; and, that is why the search for truth is an unending quest. Because of mental or physical exhaustion the temptation is to surrender to comforting dogma and rhetoric which in some form asks for the willing suspension of disbelief as fiction does. To lie to oneself is the greatest lie because it is just as difficult to see through stone as it is to see the truth.</p>
<p>Without truth, there is nothing but superstition, fantasy, and irrational thinking. To discard the truth is to accept immaturity and irresponsibility as a way of life. The hallmark of adult behavior is accepting responsibility and understanding the necessity of making decisions based on reality. In deciding we must override emotionalism to make an informed choice, fully appreciating there is a chance for failure, but also realizing that is part of being an adult—understanding and accepting there are no guarantees.</p>
<p>In overriding irrationality and superstition, we open the door to honest inquiry and understanding. The truth demands an objective view that encourages thinking, rational thought and even debate and disagreement. The search for truth is open to a diversity of views and opinions, which only serve to enrich the possibility of enlightenment.</p>
<p>Along the path to truth, it is easy to become sure that one has found it or that we somehow are more enlightened than those who choose not to search. This is a constant danger in the search for the truth, the constant possibility that we may have come to believe we have found the truth and that those who have not followed our path are less worthy by virtue of their failure to do so. It is this residence on the road to truth that brings slaughter and war. This truth is closed and that makes it no truth, for the truth is always open and the pathway never ends—it just enlightens.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the yearning for guarantees guides people to irrational thinking and the false reassurances of supernatural phenomena and an over-reliance on emotionalism. When the search for truth ends with the acceptance of superstition and fantasy; the doors of tolerance close and the tyranny of absolutism begins. The doors to inquiry, debate, and experimentation close. The window slams on the fingers of forbearance and compassion and opens to hatred, extremism, and narrow-mindedness. There are no boundaries in the search for truth for it requires none. It has no need of protection for it is the same today as yesterday and invites inquiry, debate and research because it will not change.</p>
<p>Those who have discovered the truth live in prisons of their own making. They have no need to go outside into the freshness of the morning air and the warmth of the rising sun because they have closed off the remainder of the world as nonexistent. This self-limitation is a selfish nihilism that ignores the realities of the world for the soothing balm of self-imposed ignorance. They protest too much the search for the truth and it is that protest that reveals that their answer is incorrect--they have merely decided to look no further, which is arrogant, ignorant and self-fulfilling.</p>
<p>Beware the person who has found the truth. It is that same person who will kill you in the name of that truth. For those who have found the truth, life functions in black and white with no room for subtle nuances or exceptions. Anyone claiming that they have the truth is a lair. They seek only to end your quest because their control and authority depend upon others accepting things as they are and leaving questions unanswered. Inspirational differentiators are determined by where they occur and the source of that inspiration. The only difference between a man who joins a lynch mob and one who joins the ministry is their location.</p>
<p>Despite political and moralistic propaganda, despite outright lies and mistruths; one cannot find truth without first looking for it and there is the rub. Only through disciplined effort can the truth ever be discovered. There is no substitute for the truth. Nevertheless, the search for the truth must go on; and, though the path is perilous and that there is no gratitude for those who strip away comfortable myths and causes other to think.</p>
<p>Since the beginning of time, men and women have searched for the truth and come up with interpretations that have suited their needs at the time. This is not to say that their quests were not noble or their results worthwhile. On the contrary, the idea of searching for the truth indicates a pursuit of a higher and fuller understanding of life and a healthy skepticism regarding what stands for truth.</p>
<p>Truth has a reputation as a healer of wounds, a soother of troubled minds and a provider of purpose for the individual, as well as all of mankind, collectively. In essence, the ultimate goal of the search for truth is to understand the meaning of life. Thinkers of all sorts have put varieties of interpretations forth; and, still, the search for truth continues.</p>
<p>The search for the truth is not for all because it is tiring and often confusing, uncertain and indefinite and unrelenting in its depth, but it is also exhilarating and wonderful for those who are unafraid to let reason and logic find their way. The search for the truth is for those unafraid of what they might find. It is not for those who seek comfort in life. It is for those who seek to know life and all of its intricacies, mysteries and commonness. Truth's prize is in the search. Its benefit lies in removing blindness from searching minds and allowing the clear sight of things. Sadly, the need for an examined life has been replaced with convenient catechisms that encourage shallow thought, narrow ideologies and small focus.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, truth and death are absolutes. Never is truth anything but the truth. It is immutable. It is on-going. It is permanent. What was true yesterday is true today and will be true tomorrow into infinity. Mountains will become beaches beneath our feet and the oceans will evaporate before the truth changes. That has been its attraction over the ages. Its immutability and steadfastness captures that part of the psyche that longs to know things. Truth is salve to the inquisitive mind. Often, truth appears a chameleon, changing steadily in the eyes, yet, remaining unchanged because for today's truth is the same as yesterday's, only the perspective and viewer ever change.</p>
<p>Truth, like a bullet fired blindly, is no respecter of rank, privilege, religion, philosophy or emotion. Although it is a neutral force, it can destroy used improperly or without forethought. It can be a cold-blooded killer wrapped in the artifice of royalty waiting to burst unsuspecting bubbles of belief with cold precision. There is no doubt of its duality as it is at once beautiful and hideous. This doubleness lies within the viewer, for by itself, truth is pure, untainted and universally clarifying. Only to those whom it does not serve is truth an enemy.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, truth is a judge without mercy. It cares little for our sorrow and pain. It is as unfeeling and cold as the dead and yet; it is alive and offers solace to those whom falsehood has driven to the ground. At its most noble truth cuts a mighty swath laying insincerity and pretension bare to the bone. As an avenger of righteousness, it is a weapon for the weak and the scourge of the abusers of men.</p>
<p>It is no discerner of person. It does not care about tender feelings and misplaced belief. Truth is not patient. For the unprepared or the unsuspecting it is a fist to the face or a slug in the gut. It gives no warning. There is no count to three. Even for those seeking the truth it is sometimes an unwelcome and unwanted guest especially when it does not reinforce or buttress preconceived ideas and thoughts. There is no reward for truth unless those giving rewards recognize its value. However, the messenger of the truth is just as likely to be chastised as a liar. In such cases, one makes a conscious decision not to see, therefore, they are blind.</p>
<p>By itself, truth is pure, untainted, and universally clarifying, but not to those who refuse to see. Still, the search for truth continues. Truth is its own reward.</p>Republicans Hate Social Security and Medicaretag:atheistnexus.org,2017-12-06:2182797:BlogPost:27823192017-12-06T15:30:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If there’s one person out there who didn’t get the memo over 10 years ago that privatizing medicare and social security was high on the republican agenda, I’d like to have them tested for dementia.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The repubs have never made a secret of this.</strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ultimately, what they want is to gut the two, gamble with the money until we end up with another…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If there’s one person out there who didn’t get the memo over 10 years ago that privatizing medicare and social security was high on the republican agenda, I’d like to have them tested for dementia.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The repubs have never made a secret of this.</strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ultimately, what they want is to gut the two, gamble with the money until we end up with another crash and then orchestrate a massive transfer of wealth once again. i hope you remember who made out really well from the crash <span class="text_exposed_show">of 2008.</span></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><strong>It wasn't me. Was it you?</strong></span></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="text_exposed_show">I don’t understand most Americans. Report after report tells us that roughly 75% of all Americans from all socio economic brackets have little to no money saved and almost no true net value if you subtract their debt. The odds of anyone I know being able to survive to a ripe old on their savings alone is so low as to almost be non existent. Yet, they gamble with their future in a shockingly careless fashion when it comes to these two much needed programs either by voting republican or third party.</span></span></p>
<p></p>
<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512340571005_77467"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Here's the percentage of savings that people on average have amassed according to a financial article published in June of 2017:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512340571005_77468"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>$0 saved: 39 percent</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512340571005_77469"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>Less than $1,000 saved: 18 percent</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512340571005_77470"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>$1,000 to $4,999 saved: 12 percent</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512340571005_77471"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>$5,000 to $9,999 saved: 6 percent</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512340571005_77472"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>$10,000 or more saved: 25 percent</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>This article did not mention the debt percentages, however.</strong> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span>Frankly, most people I know regardless of their savings, if they have any at all, would be worth 0% if they had to subtract their debt from their total net worth. In fact, they would be living in the red with no net value whatsoever. And, that has nothing to do with the socio economic brackets. The more people make, the more they spend, so whether they save or not, their debt puts them in the red every single damn time. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span>The idea that the 75% or even the biggest portion of the 25% has enough money saved to live on until they reach their 90s or beyond is ludicrous. No one that I know has the means to do this. And, even if there are those among the 25% who could live off their savings well into old age, if they get sick, bankruptcy is right around the corner. In America, most would have to make a choice between treatment (bankruptcy) or dying.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span>According to current reports:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>more people are saddled with student debt than ever before</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>credit card debt has reached an all-time high</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>More people over 60 are taking on debt than in the past</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span><font size="4"><em>many people are struggling with high car payments stretched over long payment plans.</em> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><strong>I’m quite weary of people’s foolish shenanigans.</strong></span></span></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="text_exposed_show">I once told a friend who’s husband is stubbornly conservative to ask him to show her how he plans to save a million dollars between now and retirement. They’re both 50 years old, so the days and nights of cold winters and barren tables are closing in upon them. I told her to keep after him to prove what he plans to do because I’m 99% sure that short of winning the lottery, he can’t deliver the goods. (Sigh) He's just another big-talking-male-baby boomer who hasn't reaped the benefits from the economic plan that he promotes and if he keeps voting republican, one day, he'll be opening that can of cat food for him and little wifey to share. </span></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="text_exposed_show">I happen to think, he'll deserve it, too, but then I'm a bleeding heart liberal and so I still hope to avoid such a horrendous social outcome.</span></span></p>Life In Spite Of Everythingtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-12-02:2182797:BlogPost:27813032017-12-02T16:30:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p><span class="font-size-4">As I awoke this morning, my first thoughts were of the Republican budget which was passed last night and our country's powerful plutocracy. If there has ever been a true representation by the people, which is highly questionable, we certainly have no voice any longer. I must admit that I felt deeply anxious. Anxiety is rife in our society these days and I had to remind myself not to join the feeding frenzy of fear, anger and despair. Why? Because that's the only…</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">As I awoke this morning, my first thoughts were of the Republican budget which was passed last night and our country's powerful plutocracy. If there has ever been a true representation by the people, which is highly questionable, we certainly have no voice any longer. I must admit that I felt deeply anxious. Anxiety is rife in our society these days and I had to remind myself not to join the feeding frenzy of fear, anger and despair. Why? Because that's the only thing that I might have a bit of control over, my own response to traumatic events.</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">So, I decided to spend a little extra time in bed relaxing while making mental notes of what I've survived in life thus far.</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">I was raised in a religious cult.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">I escaped.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">I managed to put myself through college twice.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">I worked as a teacher and then a principal until retirement.</span></em></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">None of the above was easy without parental support, but I managed somehow. Then I added a few more things to my list:</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">My husband lost numerous jobs to global outsourcing.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">For several decades we lived close to the poverty line</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">We built our own house</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">In order to get ahead, we were a two income household</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">Unlike my mom and mother-in-law I HAD to work</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">We were the youth of the Vietnam War era</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">We were aware that many our age died for a losing cause</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">Society was explosive and divided</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">I had no support from my family</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">We married way too young</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">Somehow we stayed together and raised our family</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">Unlike our parents, we sacrificed to help put our kids through college</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">We pinched pennies, saved money and eventually were able to live debt free</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">We retired</span></em></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There was a lot of uncertainty in the world back then and the average Joe was generally ignorant of the possible consequences of their own actions. We didn't live in the age of information, so we often didn't even know which questions to ask.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Most of my life has been in spite of:</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of family support</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of money</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of knowledge</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of opportunity</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of support for and faith in the middle class</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of equality</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of experience</span></em></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-4">lack of progress</span></em></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong style="font-size: 14pt;">And, do our children have it any better?</strong> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Or has my generation sold their future to the highest bidder? Im afraid we have been quite careless at the very least. So why would I be surprised that what we have to offer our children today is still lacking in so much?</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">We've made technological advances but socially we're still struggling.</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">I will remind my children to pay attention. I will make sure that they know that even though they have the undying support of their mother and father, they will need to use the increasing knowledge available today to their personal advantage. I will hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I will go into old age determined to have the intestinal fortitude to continue to live my life to the best of my ability IN SPITE of almost everything.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>Things don't look hopeful at the moment, but it never has if I'm to be totally honest with myself.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">It's always been a struggle to be a human being in a world of primordial instincts predicated on fear, anxiety and anger. Yet, here I am. Still kicking. Still learning. Still trying to find a way around, through, over or under the heaps and heaps of problems facing me and you, and you and you.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>I eventually hauled my ass out of bed this morning.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">And, like I tend to do, I turned to writing. That's how I do things. That's how I cope. That's how I sort through the shit. And after writing this article which helped to clear my head a bit, I'm here to tell you that in spite of it all .....</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">I've got this! So, bring it on. I ain't through yet.</span></strong></p>Off With Their Heads!tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-12-01:2182797:BlogPost:27813762017-12-01T03:30:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Have we merely become a wealthier version of the banana republics we use to laugh about?</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Typically, a banana republic consists of social classes that include a huge but poor working class and a smaller ruling-class plutocracy, composed of the business, political and military elites.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Christopher Hitchens wrote:…</span></p>
<div class="text_exposed_show"><p></p>
</div>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Have we merely become a wealthier version of the banana republics we use to laugh about?</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Typically, a banana republic consists of social classes that include a huge but poor working class and a smaller ruling-class plutocracy, composed of the business, political and military elites.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Christopher Hitchens wrote:</span></p>
<div class="text_exposed_show"><p><em><span class="font-size-4">"The chief principle of banana-ism is that of kleptocracy, whereby those in positions of influence use their time in office to maximize their own gains, always ensuring that any shortfall is made up by those unfortunates whose daily life involves earning money rather than making it."</span></em></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">And, as Hitchens also pointed out, there is absolutely no accountability for these thieves.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>Remember the crash of 2008?</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Ordinary people lost it all, but not the thieves. They were rewarded and went on to make an unprecedented amount of wealth in the years to follow. Ain't that a bitch? </span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">D<strong>oes this have a familiar ring to it?</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">As I write these words, attempts are being made to retool the entire tax system. We must ask ourselves, what do they want to accomplish? To rob from the poor and middle classes? Who will they give the spoils to after that? The wealthy, the corporations, the elite thieves who have no accountability, of course.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>I am preparing myself for the worst and hoping for the best.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">I have relatives who voted for this current administration. I have neighbors in my conservative, bible thumping state of Indiana who have prayed for this mess. I even have fellow progressives who voted third party in an attempt to prove their moral superiority who now have nothing to offer as we all sit and watch everything go up in flames.</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">If this isn't a banana republic, I don't know what is ... </span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Americans are a stubborn lot. I have many friends that at last have begun to realize which side their bread is buttered on. (sigh) Friends who use to confuse socialism with communism and had no idea that they were already benefiting from a social democracy. I know they were raised to think this way and so I guess it had to take a long time for them to begin to see the light, but man, oh, man, am I tired of waiting, and waiting and waiting on the rest of the working class to wake up and demand, "Off with their heads!"</span></p>
</div>Fundamentalism by Proxy and the Guilting of the Godlytag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-22:2182797:BlogPost:27800472017-11-22T23:58:31.000ZDan Wallhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DanWall
<h1>Fundamentalism by Proxy and the Guilting of the Godly</h1>
<p>A general suspicion of religion comes to mind easily enough. Hell, even religious people frequently exhibit this suspicion (tempered as it is with whatever thoughts they’ve assembled into their own beliefs). There is something about the whole range of religious beliefs as such that invites a degree of doubt, even contempt. It would be easy to believe religion could be refuted.</p>
<p>Easy.</p>
<p>Just like nailing jelly to a…</p>
<h1>Fundamentalism by Proxy and the Guilting of the Godly</h1>
<p>A general suspicion of religion comes to mind easily enough. Hell, even religious people frequently exhibit this suspicion (tempered as it is with whatever thoughts they’ve assembled into their own beliefs). There is something about the whole range of religious beliefs as such that invites a degree of doubt, even contempt. It would be easy to believe religion could be refuted.</p>
<p>Easy.</p>
<p>Just like nailing jelly to a wall.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Moere here...</p>
<p><a href="https://northierthanthou.com/2017/11/09/fundamentalism-by-proxy-and-the-guilting-of-the-godly/">https://northierthanthou.com/2017/11/09/fundamentalism-by-proxy-and-the-guilting-of-the-godly/</a></p>The steps a person needs to take to be Religioustag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-22:2182797:BlogPost:27800272017-11-22T07:30:00.000ZV.N.K.Kumarhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/VNKKumar
<p>1. First, choose your parents. At least one of them should be religious. If you say it is impossible to choose parents, then wish for dame luck to favour you with religious parents.You should also love your parents and be obedient to them. It now becomes easy to believe in gods, because you love your parents and your parents told you that there are Gods.</p>
<p>2. Next, understand that believing in Gods in the absence of evidence is especially noble. What is the big deal in believing in…</p>
<p>1. First, choose your parents. At least one of them should be religious. If you say it is impossible to choose parents, then wish for dame luck to favour you with religious parents.You should also love your parents and be obedient to them. It now becomes easy to believe in gods, because you love your parents and your parents told you that there are Gods.</p>
<p>2. Next, understand that believing in Gods in the absence of evidence is especially noble. What is the big deal in believing in something with evidence. Any moron can do that.</p>
<p>3. Then, realize that the human ability to believe in Gods in the absence of evidence might itself constitute evidence for the existence of Gods. This is not a sign of our gullibility or naivety but a sign that a 'God Gene' has been implanted by the gods in our neural circuits.</p>
<p>4. Now consider any need for further evidence (both in yourself and in others) to be spiritually unhealthy, or a corruption of the intellect. Refer to steps 2-4 as acts of “faith”. Faith need not depend on facts.</p>
<p>5. Once you become an ardent believer, there are so many pay-offs which reinforce your faith, like Protection in this life from adversities &amp; frustrations, happy afterlife in heaven &amp; ultimate justice for you in heaven despite the earthly injustices you faced. All these makes your life purposeful &amp; meaningful.</p>
<p>6. If exposed to alternate ways of making sense of this universe, viz., atheism &amp; secular humanism, you get disturbed by its conclusions of death &amp; oblivion thereafter and the lack of evidence for the existence of gods. You are reluctant to give up your security blanket of 'certitude' provided by your religion.</p>
<p>7. You go back to 2 in the recursive loop to reassure yourself of your righteousness: "Understand that believing in Gods in the absence of evidence is especially noble".</p>
<p>This is the default status of most human beings trapped in such a recursive loop. It is easier to believe in Gods and get on with the chores and rigmaroles of life. Who has the time or patience to dispute it.</p>
<p>Getting out of this trap<br/> But to become an autonomous, free thinking and compassionate human being without god, you may have to unlearn a lot of concepts learned in our formative years and then learn new ideas based on real science, logic and critical reasoning, which to say the least, is hard work. The problem is, barring a few freaks, who likes hard work?</p>Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-20:2182797:BlogPost:27796872017-11-20T16:24:49.000ZLiam Jonsonhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/LiamJonson
<p>In the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions, various technologies are utilized. Under this case, <strong>Voice over Internet Protocol</strong> (VoIP) is one of the common technologies that are utilized in the execution of this particular task. The technology operates on a basic principle of <strong>converting</strong> analog voice signals into <strong>digital data</strong> that become easier to be transmitted via a network. The technology utilizes <strong>phones…</strong></p>
<p>In the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions, various technologies are utilized. Under this case, <strong>Voice over Internet Protocol</strong> (VoIP) is one of the common technologies that are utilized in the execution of this particular task. The technology operates on a basic principle of <strong>converting</strong> analog voice signals into <strong>digital data</strong> that become easier to be transmitted via a network. The technology utilizes <strong>phones</strong> as a physical device that is installed on a system. Additionally, the technology can also utilize a software <strong>program</strong> that is installed on a computer that uses microphones and speakers for digital conversion. In the current century, most individuals have already interacted with various kinds of VoIP technologies. For example, <strong>Skype</strong> is one of the common VoIP technologies that is used by millions of people across the world. Importantly, VoIP technologies are vital in small and large business enterprise, like in <a href="https://essays.solutions/" target="_blank">Essays.Solutions</a> and government.</p>
<p>In initiating VoIP communications calls, <strong>Session Initiation Protocol</strong> (SIP) is used as a standard measure. The call initially commences with the initiator dialing a predetermined number that sends an invite to the designated proxy server. In this case, the proxy server is also termed as a gatekeeper. Once the p<strong>roxy serve</strong>r receives the invitation request, it relays trying a <strong>response</strong> to the caller to stop the transmission to further multiple invites. At this juncture, the gatekeeper now commences searching for the address of the receiver it had relayed the invitation requests. The moment the invite is received, there is the generation of a ringing response that is communicated back to the <strong>initiator</strong> of the call. Afterward, the <strong>initiator</strong> sends an acknowledgment packet to the <strong>receiver</strong>. During this duration, a session is established, and both phones begin to communicate directly with both receivers on either end. Once the call reaches to an end, BYE request is sent to terminate the VoIP session where the call termination can occur at any end. Once the BYE request has received the party that receives it initiates a follow up by sending an OK response. However, in some cases, some systems are designed to update the <strong>proxy</strong> server with the status of the call via the session tracking response and process.</p>
<p>In the current times of technology revolution, VoIP technology has become very popular because of affordability. The fair prices are influenced by a variety of ways that <strong>encompass</strong>;</p>
<ul>
<li>Lower calling rates</li>
<li>Single network requirements</li>
<li>Minimal maintenance</li>
<li>Greater functionality</li>
</ul>
<p>However, since VoIP is sent over internet protocol (IP), it is possible to bypass hefty calling rates that are provided by a typical telephone services corporation for long distance and international calls. The fact that VoIP can be <strong>piggybacked</strong> on existing network equipment no additional hardware is required for completion of the task. Importantly, the VoIP technology can be <strong>cheaper</strong> in the instance when the user is utilizing a computer as a softphone. Under this case, the VoIP shares the same equipment and cabling as the computer traffic thereby <strong>reducing</strong> maintenance cost as single equipment is used. The technology is reflected by the current phones that are being manufactured in the 21st century.</p>Sexual Rules in the Power Gametag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-17:2182797:BlogPost:27793682017-11-17T16:00:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p><span class="font-size-4">Why are there so many cases of sexual misconduct? What is causing this surge of revelations? Why is everyone so shocked and surprised?</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Those were always the rules to the game.</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">You knew it. I knew it. Our parents knew it. The presidents down through the ages knew it. The preachers and priests knew it. By the time we were twelve years old, maybe younger, we…</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Why are there so many cases of sexual misconduct? What is causing this surge of revelations? Why is everyone so shocked and surprised?</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Those were always the rules to the game.</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">You knew it. I knew it. Our parents knew it. The presidents down through the ages knew it. The preachers and priests knew it. By the time we were twelve years old, maybe younger, we ALL knew it. </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Men were given permission by our culture to play around, to take whatever the market would bear, to enjoy their sexuality however and whenever they could. And, if the man had power and money, he was given even more leeway. Oh, was he ever.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Women on the other hand, were assigned the role of sexual gatekeeper with harsh consequences for expressing their sexual desires, lots of rules for how and when it was permissible and ultimately loads of responsibility as birth was usually a natural outcome. Women had no power, no income, no rights and little autonomy.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Everyone knew those were the rules to the game. EVERYONE. So, we played by them. And, there were winners and there were losers.</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Then, as is sometimes the case, the balance of power shifted ever so slightly, inch by inch, until one day people started to talk about those rules, challenge the cultural expectations and confront the socially acceptable behaviors. Suddenly, many of the behaviors that most people simply took for granted appeared rather grim when exposed to the stark light of day.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">We thought about our daughters, our mothers, our brothers and fathers and we wondered if they, too, had been victims or victimizers of such a vast social conspiracy to keep the power brokers forever in a secure place. Women began to wonder why they had chosen the biggest power brokers and made them kings or fathers of their children when their were better, more empathetic, options available to them.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">We all wondered — how did it come to this. How?</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">It's so hard, almost impossible, for people to live their lives any differently than the pack. Most of us never even question why we do the things we do. Our world view was handed to us at birth and we grew up thinking that this was life. So, thousands and thousands and thousands of people get up every morning and go about their business of living the same way that everyone else around them is living, practically carbon copies of one designated and fully approved model. </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Every time, however, we do something, anything, just because that's the way we were told it should be done, we've allowed ourselves to be robbed of our freedom.</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">It's that simple and that hard. And, let me tell you, if you choose to do it differently, people will squirm when they're around you. Deviate ever so slightly from the approved cultural path and you're immediately suspect. Speak out against something that no one is willing to confront and you'll be ostracized and told to be quiet. It's lonely being different from the pack. It can even get you killed. Try questioning a beloved cultural belief. Try it and see what happens. Someone has to start. They are the brave ones. The rest will keep doing what the pack is doing for generations to come until one of the few brave ones speaks out. The masses will stand by and merely watch the rare brave ones but remain silent until there's enough momentum to make them feel like it's safe enough to take the risk of joining the cause.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>That's why it takes sooooooooooo fucking long to change things.</strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">The heroes are often a lone voice crying in the wilderness while everybody else is pretending that everything is just fine. Thus, corruption of power becomes privilege for some and strips others of any true freedom or personal autonomy. And, we can count on it playing out like this every time. It's that predictable. Whether we're talking about gay rights, women's rights, children's rights or animal rights, it's all the same. Society tells us how to behave within the cultural limitations it sets for each group and then we're raised to be compliant and accommodating. </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">So I ask again. Why is everyone acting so damn surprised?</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Please stop pretending to be shocked by all of these sexually aggressive revelations, because unless you were born in an entirely different culture with entirely different expectations, you always knew these were our rules. Admit it!</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-3">I'm a myth buster. My recent published book - Have We Been Screwed? Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales - can be purchased on Amazon.</span> </em></p>
<p><em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://amzn.to/2wDEabD">http://amzn.to/2wDEabD</a></em></p>The Future of the world is in our handstag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-12:2182797:BlogPost:27789372017-11-12T12:23:25.000ZV.N.K.Kumarhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/VNKKumar
<div><div class="ydp41a350d0_1mf ydp41a350d0_1mj"><p><strong>Sreeni:</strong> Prof. Kumar, What could be the mission of Atheism &amp; Secular Humanism?</p>
<p><strong>Me:</strong> Well, if Atheism is the first step taken by someone, Secular Humanism is the 1000 steps thereafter that one has to take. Atheism has no mission besides declaring one’s non-belief in celestial beings. But Secular humanism is Atheism+ &amp; does not believe that man’s mission on earth is merely to love and glorify…</p>
</div>
</div>
<div><div class="ydp41a350d0_1mf ydp41a350d0_1mj"><p><strong>Sreeni:</strong> Prof. Kumar, What could be the mission of Atheism &amp; Secular Humanism?</p>
<p><strong>Me:</strong> Well, if Atheism is the first step taken by someone, Secular Humanism is the 1000 steps thereafter that one has to take. Atheism has no mission besides declaring one’s non-belief in celestial beings. But Secular humanism is Atheism+ &amp; does not believe that man’s mission on earth is merely to love and glorify illusory gods, but it does believe in living this life so that when you pass on, the world will be better for your having lived.</p>
<p><strong>Sreeni:</strong> This is such a worthy mission. Why not we evangelize it everywhere?</p>
<p><strong>Me:</strong> Debating about the existence or non-existence of gods with the believers is useless, since they have the calcified &amp; ossified attitudes of Complacency, Certitude &amp; Dogmatism. It requires the diametrically opposite attitudes of Inquisitiveness, Skepticism &amp; Tentativeness to appreciate the discoveries of modern day sciences. Why try to reason someone out of opinions they never reasoned themselves into? They were brainwashed by their elders and one can’t choose one’s parents. Period.</p>
<p><strong>Sreeni:</strong> Why are even the educated intelligentsia unwilling to consider deconverting to atheism &amp; Secular Humanism?</p>
<p><strong>Me:</strong> It’s a Double Whammy, a situation when two unpleasant things happen at almost the same time.</p>
<p>One one hand you have the <strong>INTELLECTUAL STRESS</strong>. To be a Secular Humanist you have to put in a lot of effort to become an autodidact in Astrophysical Cosmology, Evolutionary Biology, Anthropology, Evolutionary Psychology, Comparative Religion, Ethics &amp; Axiology (Value clarification). The average individual would have finished his/her academic &amp; professional studies long time ago convinced that there is not much else to learn to earn one’s livelihood &amp; get on with life. He/She would have arrived at a sense of closure on Learning. At this juncture asking them to study these unfamiliar subjects would be asking too much. It is needless to say a very unpleasant thing and creates unwanted Intellectual stress.</p>
<p>On the other hand you have the <strong>PERSONAL NEEDS</strong>, the psychological needs &amp; the Social needs.</p>
<p>Psychological Needs: In order to commit oneself to Secular Humanism, you have to forego the illusion of a sky daddy/mom and the safety net of comfort &amp; solace when facing the inevitable frustrations in life.</p>
<p>Social Needs: Also you might have to face social ostracism and sacrifice the benefits of community &amp; a sense of belongingness to a religious group.</p>
<p>Frustration of Personal needs is another very unpleasant thing. So it is a DOUBLE WHAMMY! Not many people have the courage &amp; resourcefulness to face this kind of eventuality and so they backslide into their default status, sucking on the pacifier of blind faith.</p>
<p><strong>Sreeni:</strong> How can we then expect progress when Imams, Mullahs, Priests, Popes, Pastors, Rabbis, Gurus &amp; Swamis continue to create Xenophobia &amp; instigate their flocks to fight &amp; destroy those with a different faith?</p>
<p><strong>Me:</strong> Well, all revolutions have been initiated by one person or a handful of people who passionately believe in it. One M.K.Gandhi, One Martin Luther King Jr, One Nelson Mandela, One Malala Yousaf zai were enough, weren’t they?</p>
<p>It is not necessary that the entire human population is simultaneously converted to non-belief. That could also be dangerous, since there are quite a lot of deranged psychotics &amp; sociopaths who will take advantage of the absence of Invigilators to go berserk and cause mayhem. Let the great unwashed continue to think that gods exist. It is good for social control.</p>
<p>But we need only a few Secular Humanists dispersed throughout the world to convince the intellectuals &amp; leaders of nations that mankind is all alone, death is final, there is no afterlife and people across the borders will have to cooperate &amp; collaborate with one another to usher in a new paradigm, a new reality, a Heaven on earth.</p>
</div>
<p><span><b><font size="3"> </font></b></span></p>
</div>The Atheist Pig's Take on Mass Shootingstag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-08:2182797:BlogPost:27783002017-11-08T15:20:29.000ZLoren Millerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/LorenMiller
<p>Is this the new normal? Over 500 mass shootings in the past year, more in the past decade possibly than in all the 20th century. The trend gives no appearance of abating, indeed, quite the opposite. Frequently, gun sales surge in the wake of the more publicly reported shootings, owing to the mistaken impression by the gun lovers of the US that maybe, just maybe, THIS TIME the government will clamp down ... and yet they don't. The push to regulate the bump stocks which were used in the…</p>
<p>Is this the new normal? Over 500 mass shootings in the past year, more in the past decade possibly than in all the 20th century. The trend gives no appearance of abating, indeed, quite the opposite. Frequently, gun sales surge in the wake of the more publicly reported shootings, owing to the mistaken impression by the gun lovers of the US that maybe, just maybe, THIS TIME the government will clamp down ... and yet they don't. The push to regulate the bump stocks which were used in the Las Vegas slaughter (I really can't call it anything else) has stalled in Congress with no sign of further progress. Names like Columbine and Aurora and Pulse are being added to the roster, sometimes on a daily basis. Meanwhile in the rest of the world, such incidents are all but unheard of.<br/><br/>It's gotten to the point where our buddy Winston, The Atheist Pig, has had his fill of the whole business. Unlike too many others, he has a clear vision of current events and actually understands why nothing is being done about them. No, he's not indifferent, just disgusted, or so I suspect, and the ongoing banal tattoo about "thoughts and prayers" only emphasizes the stupidity of the whole situation in his eyes ... and mine, too, for that matter.<br/><br/>Winston recently had an exchange with a coworker about it, and he sums up the whole mess in four panels far better than I've heard in some news broadcasts. I offer it here for your edification.<br/><br/><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/QYXnsndrqtxV0nheApkLMEx5KcDUtHzy3xqU5mKck6xv3-tLg1e84Vi00GqxMf68f-*Zo6yqsePOxjqr5-tcQr1lVRfib-TR/AtheistPig20171105.jpeg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/QYXnsndrqtxV0nheApkLMEx5KcDUtHzy3xqU5mKck6xv3-tLg1e84Vi00GqxMf68f-*Zo6yqsePOxjqr5-tcQr1lVRfib-TR/AtheistPig20171105.jpeg?width=600" class="align-full" width="600"/></a></p>Dawn Wouldn't Existtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-08:2182797:BlogPost:27784052017-11-08T07:12:49.000ZPatriciahttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/Patricia861
<p>Dawn Wouldn’t Exist<br></br><br></br></p>
<p>As a lifelong night person, morning to me is a four letter word. I hate mornings &amp; prefer to avoid anything before 10:00 a.m., which is plenty early enough for my comfort level.</p>
<p>Over the last several months, I've had to have tests, see doctors, see specialists, &amp; have hip replacement.</p>
<p>Many of these appointments were also out of town, which naturally has transportation in the....you guessed it....mornings.</p>
<p>Now, what could…</p>
<p>Dawn Wouldn’t Exist<br/><br/></p>
<p>As a lifelong night person, morning to me is a four letter word. I hate mornings &amp; prefer to avoid anything before 10:00 a.m., which is plenty early enough for my comfort level.</p>
<p>Over the last several months, I've had to have tests, see doctors, see specialists, &amp; have hip replacement.</p>
<p>Many of these appointments were also out of town, which naturally has transportation in the....you guessed it....mornings.</p>
<p>Now, what could possibly be the issue with some of these things happening in the afternoon?</p>
<p>Of course where doctors are concerned, I guess it would interfere with their golf game, but you'd think once in awhile, since we basically pay their wages, they could accommodate our personal hours. I can't explain the transportation people.</p>
<p>Sooooooo, if it wasn't for the medical people, &amp; transportation staff, the dawn wouldn't be cracked, &amp; therefore wouldn't exist!.</p>
<p>That's my story, &amp; I'm sticking to it!</p>America Doesn't Fix Things Any Moretag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-07:2182797:BlogPost:27782182017-11-07T18:30:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Mass shootings can happen anywhere, but they are only a matter of routine in the United States. </span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Oddly, I've encountered many Americans who seem resigned to this fact of life in our country. They have no suggestions to remedy the situation except the occasional call for more guns. Americans, however, already have more guns than any other nation.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>So if that were…</strong></span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Mass shootings can happen anywhere, but they are only a matter of routine in the United States. </span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Oddly, I've encountered many Americans who seem resigned to this fact of life in our country. They have no suggestions to remedy the situation except the occasional call for more guns. Americans, however, already have more guns than any other nation.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>So if that were the key, it stands to reason that we should have less bloody massacres. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">What's frustrating to me is that as soon as we experience another blood bath in yet another venue in yet another town in America, we obsess for a period of time, run endless detailed news stories about the atrocities and then gradually go back to our regular routine of eating and drinking and pissing and sleeping until the next blood soaked event happens. </span></p>
<div class="text_exposed_show"><p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>Because they are soooooo common place now, the time between the event and getting back to our routine is becoming shorter and shorter.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">How long can we sustain that feeling of powerlessness and horror? It's too much for our psyches to bear. So we start to become desensitized, a natural protective measure our good old brains employ to protect us from a nervous breakdown. </span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>But the real ball breaker in this gory fiasco is that in light of a rising body count, we still do nothing.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Nothing. Nada. Zilch. That fact alone makes us feel a kind of collective impotence deep down in our solar plexus which slowly but surely decreases our sense of well being and increases our general anxiety as a nation. We can't fix this and it's killing us. </span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>The very soul of the nation is succumbing to a feeling of utter hopelessness.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Without hope, life becomes a very grim prospect. We don't fix things any more. Not weekly mass murders and carnage or anything else for that matter. We've become a nation of can't dos. We're impotent. We spin our wheels and shout obscenities at one another even as we lock our doors and wait for the next attack, but the enemy is us and we can't fix us.</span></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-3">I'm a myth buster. My recent published book - Have We Been Screwed? Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales - can be purchased on Amazon.</span> </em></p>
<p><em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://amzn.to/2wDEabD">http://amzn.to/2wDEabD</a></em></p>
<p></p>
</div>Atheism is Empoweringtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-04:2182797:BlogPost:27779002017-11-04T18:22:48.000ZV.N.K.Kumarhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/VNKKumar
<p>Sreeni: When someone declares “There are no gods”, others regard this as an expletive of a highly depressed person. When people hear or say this, it is often associated with nothing going right in the life of the person proclaiming it, or it is heard being said after a tragedy occurs.</p>
<p>Me: Yes that happens but these four words do not need to be linked to a fatalistic or bleak outlook but instead can be reassuring, refreshing &amp; empowering.</p>
<p>Sreeni: Empowering?</p>
<p>Me: Yes…</p>
<p>Sreeni: When someone declares “There are no gods”, others regard this as an expletive of a highly depressed person. When people hear or say this, it is often associated with nothing going right in the life of the person proclaiming it, or it is heard being said after a tragedy occurs.</p>
<p>Me: Yes that happens but these four words do not need to be linked to a fatalistic or bleak outlook but instead can be reassuring, refreshing &amp; empowering.</p>
<p>Sreeni: Empowering?</p>
<p>Me: Yes indeed so. The process of becoming an atheist is like when your dad is teaching you to ride a bike without training wheels when you were just a kid. He begins by holding fast to the back of your bike and before you start to pedal you tell him, beg &amp; plead with him not to let go.</p>
<p>He says Ok. Thus reassured, you start and you go a fair distance and before you know it, your dad is far behind you and he is telling you proudly, “I let go a long time ago. You are doing it yourself. Keep it up. I bet you will compete &amp; win in a cycle race pretty soon”.</p>
<p>Sreeni: I know the feeling. In my own case, at first I got scared for a second, then I realized that I need not be and the next second I was exhilarated and felt on top of the world, as it were!</p>
<p>Me: Exactly. The process of becoming an atheist is like that. You discover that you are capable &amp; you can do it yourself. There is no need for a paternal father-figure holding onto you, protecting you with his outstretched hand. You realize that you are fully capable of succeeding on your own. You realize that you rise &amp; fall based on your own merit and you need not give someone else the credit for your accomplishments. They are a direct result of your own thoughts, ability &amp; actions. It’s one of the most freeing &amp; beautiful feelings you can experience!</p>
<p>Sreeni: Now I get it. Becoming an atheist is like riding a bike by yourself.</p>
<p>Me: Exactly. While starting to ride a bike you need empathy &amp; compassion for the pedestrians and courage to take a few falls. Similarly for becoming an atheist, you need 2 things: empathy &amp; compassion for people who are religious because they are not able to outgrow their childhood indoctrination, and two types of courage. Courage to face possible ostracism from family &amp; friends &amp; courage to transform oneself into an autonomous, self-reliant &amp; self-respecting but none-the-less compassionate human being by forfeiting the illusion of a sky dad/mom &amp; the safety net of comfort &amp; solace when facing the inevitable frustrations in life.</p>
<p>Just like in biking you started off from a position of dependence but ultimately ended up in independence, in respect of your deconversion, you started off with an attitude of dependence on gods for protection, for an eternal life &amp; for ultimate justice, then you became science-savvy, lost your faith &amp; discovered the dignity &amp; fascination of autonomy.</p>
<p>End Note<br/>But if you do become an atheist &amp; a Secular humanist, consider it a privilege &amp; a responsibility. It is not a matter of gaining freedom to do whatever you want with impunity. You need to be a far better human being than the average religious person. A religious person does good because of the Carrot-and-Stick, wanting to have the carrot of heaven &amp; wanting to avoid the stick of divine fury but a Secular humanist does good for mere goodness sake, just because it is the proper thing to do for a bipedal &amp; trousered ape with a brain exceeding one litre capacity.</p>Kasese Humanist School 7th Anniversary Celebrationtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-02:2182797:BlogPost:27779522017-11-02T11:13:31.000ZBwambale Roberthttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/BwambaleRobert
<p><span>The event will be about Kasese Humanist School marking 7 years in existence and appreciating its growth over the years from the rented Railway building properties to its new home located in Scheme ward, Kyondo cell , Rukoki in Nyamwamba Division, Kasese Municipality.</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80fZjdr*tnVBvdfu7EKqrVY37KnZxWr75DX*-mu10djLtoF9VI6wXSwg6Al6mi3GltoMPJUMhCp0HFpqKKFSvrfW/bizohakids.JPG" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80fZjdr*tnVBvdfu7EKqrVY37KnZxWr75DX*-mu10djLtoF9VI6wXSwg6Al6mi3GltoMPJUMhCp0HFpqKKFSvrfW/bizohakids.JPG?width=750" width="750"></img></a> <br></br><br></br><span>The…</span></p>
<p><span>The event will be about Kasese Humanist School marking 7 years in existence and appreciating its growth over the years from the rented Railway building properties to its new home located in Scheme ward, Kyondo cell , Rukoki in Nyamwamba Division, Kasese Municipality.</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80fZjdr*tnVBvdfu7EKqrVY37KnZxWr75DX*-mu10djLtoF9VI6wXSwg6Al6mi3GltoMPJUMhCp0HFpqKKFSvrfW/bizohakids.JPG" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80fZjdr*tnVBvdfu7EKqrVY37KnZxWr75DX*-mu10djLtoF9VI6wXSwg6Al6mi3GltoMPJUMhCp0HFpqKKFSvrfW/bizohakids.JPG?width=750" width="750" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/><span>The school will also be appreciating its successes over the years in expanding its services to other areas in the district among them being the Bizoha campus in Muhokya and the Kahendero humanist school and the Bizoha Humanist Center.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80eDJwu1Bh9TeYEla1*NwsO3v4R3DSRjWmFnQ3WwRDM-rLjtsEvBV8qhxi6s8pblTJT2NK4Bhp5YpeqNhjCAG*w1/exammomentatkhps.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80eDJwu1Bh9TeYEla1*NwsO3v4R3DSRjWmFnQ3WwRDM-rLjtsEvBV8qhxi6s8pblTJT2NK4Bhp5YpeqNhjCAG*w1/exammomentatkhps.jpg?width=750" width="750" class="align-center"/></a><br/><span>The school on that day will elaborate more about the school motto, School Vision and School Mission to the general public. there will be a lecture on Humanism and Science which forms part of the school foundation t</span><span class="text_exposed_show">o the general public.</span></p>
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<p><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80fjzl7umUN1-u9Y6bxHFbJAtmWbr46hoZlSlCkbVi*3g3Yj-dXZ3AglJUg9INfBPGKf4nTiSsylhYU8maMzos3C/jovialkids.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80fjzl7umUN1-u9Y6bxHFbJAtmWbr46hoZlSlCkbVi*3g3Yj-dXZ3AglJUg9INfBPGKf4nTiSsylhYU8maMzos3C/jovialkids.jpg?width=750" width="750" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/>Several activities will be at the event like singing and dancing, science fairs, documentary presentations, distribution of flyers,successful stories from former OBS and OGS of the school, leaflets and speeches from opinion leaders from our communities in the education, religious, political circles and our dear parents of the school from the 3 campuses. </span></p>
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<p><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80djLLF8-XyZDUkAfTdPeZmJdaMhUhtSWNpZ2VYqBxjvb*hvacErTOeJXEKdpCNelERG80gbbeI2QIBRO1bslI4n/KHPScandidates2014.JPG" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80djLLF8-XyZDUkAfTdPeZmJdaMhUhtSWNpZ2VYqBxjvb*hvacErTOeJXEKdpCNelERG80gbbeI2QIBRO1bslI4n/KHPScandidates2014.JPG?width=750" width="750" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/>We shall also host a representative from the Uganda Humanist Schools Association of which our school is affiliated to.<br/></span></p>
<p><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80cGKf-sApMz0fVlBUEeRqEC0roXDSt-AlREv7ocggug3BAz09qaV*rJ2cESVosNPmhMQnLpm8mlBpJdIBOe4JWf/donatedbookstokhpsbizoha.JPG" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80cGKf-sApMz0fVlBUEeRqEC0roXDSt-AlREv7ocggug3BAz09qaV*rJ2cESVosNPmhMQnLpm8mlBpJdIBOe4JWf/donatedbookstokhpsbizoha.JPG?width=750" width="750" class="align-center"/></a><br/>All well wishers, Friends and Parents of the school are all welcome.</span></p>
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<p><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80dnVhUwQms8j1tHxiHurRXTSPOv6AIU11p8q2Xd0f9A7HIVjEs38QbfC-ZosoUbOUBtYVOweV7L4bcnTiErIwuN/Schoollogo.JPG" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/oNnbciOP80dnVhUwQms8j1tHxiHurRXTSPOv6AIU11p8q2Xd0f9A7HIVjEs38QbfC-ZosoUbOUBtYVOweV7L4bcnTiErIwuN/Schoollogo.JPG?width=750" width="750" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/>With Science, we can progress</span></p>Peaceful & Natural Death Is A Well-deserved Reward Of Permanent Resttag:atheistnexus.org,2017-11-01:2182797:BlogPost:27779192017-11-01T17:35:47.000ZV.N.K.Kumarhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/VNKKumar
<div class="_1dwg _1w_m"><div class="_5pbx userContent _22jv _3576" id="js_5"><p>Even after seeing the death of my parents, relatives, acquaintances &amp; friends over the years and realizing the inevitability of death from age if not from accidents, I have not been able to come to terms with death.</p>
<p>When visiting the bereaved people who have just lost some loved ones, I do not know what to say to them. Well-meaning people say these platitudes:</p>
<p>"He/She is in a better place"…</p>
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<div class="_1dwg _1w_m"><div class="_5pbx userContent _22jv _3576" id="js_5"><p>Even after seeing the death of my parents, relatives, acquaintances &amp; friends over the years and realizing the inevitability of death from age if not from accidents, I have not been able to come to terms with death.</p>
<p>When visiting the bereaved people who have just lost some loved ones, I do not know what to say to them. Well-meaning people say these platitudes:</p>
<p>"He/She is in a better place" or</p>
<p>"she will not suffer any more. That's a relief. She is going to a place where there is no pain" or</p>
<p>"Gods will take good care of him since he was a very religious person" or</p>
<p>"Gods recall all favourite souls early".</p>
<p>I cannot say any of these since I am an atheist. My views about death are entirely different from that of the religious people.</p>
<p><strong>How different is a religious view from a Secular view?</strong><br/>1. The view that life and death are deliberately guided by a conscious supernatural being is radically different from the view that life and death are entirely natural processes, guided by physical cause and effect.</p>
<p>2. The view that consciousness (soul, spirit, atma) is a metaphysical substance with the ability to survive death is radically different from the view that consciousness is a biological process created by the brain, and that it ends when the brain dies.</p>
<p>3. The view that life is permanent is radically different from the view that life is ephemeral.<br/>And the forms of comfort and perspective that we find helpful in grief can also be radically different............</p>
<p>4. The idea that life is eternal and we’ll see our loved ones again someday is radically different from the idea that life is transitory and therefore ought to be intensely treasured.</p>
<p>5. The idea that life and death are part of God’s benevolent plan is radically different from the idea that life and death are part of natural cause and effect, and that we and our loved ones are part of the physical universe and are intimately connected with it.</p>
<p>6. The idea that our dead loved ones are no longer suffering because they’re in a blissful Heaven is radically different from the idea that our dead loved ones are no longer suffering because they no longer exist, and that being dead is no more painful or frightening than not having been born yet.</p>
<p>7. The idea that death is an illusion is radically different from the idea that death is necessary for life and change to be possible. Evolution is impossible without death.</p>
<p>8. The idea that the soul will live forever is radically different from the idea that things don’t have to be permanent to be valuable and meaningful.</p>
<p>9. The idea that our loved ones will always live on in an afterlife is radically different from the idea that we keep our loved ones alive in our memories, and that they live on in the ways they changed us and the world.</p>
<p>Believers and non-believers have many things in common, and much of what we find comforting during grief is the same — but much of it is seriously different, and even contradictory.</p>
<p><strong>My way of responding to death</strong><br/>What I have started doing is this. I enter the premises where the body is kept, remove my footwear, go inside the house, touch the feet of the body reverentially with both hands and touch my eyes. I choose a corner and sit down there for a hour or so and then silently make my way out, don my slippers and escape. No matter how many death scenes I may have visited, still I am not able to come to terms with this phenomena.</p>
<p>I feel sad for others. So many unfulfilled desires throttled mercilessly by the spectre of death. If only we get some prior notice saying that we are going to die in X no.of days, we could wind up our affairs and wind down our life .......... say sorry to all those we have hurt inadvertently, say how much we appreciate the help rendered to us, express forgiveness to those who have hurt us, say how much you love some of them or even disclose the various banks &amp; account numbers &amp; lockers or secret compartments in your drawers where you have stashed away your savings to enable your loved ones to utilize it.</p>
<p><strong>End Note</strong><br/>My heart favours a utopian life-after-death in heaven but my mind is convinced of the dystopian oblivion awaiting all of us and so wants to focus on life-before-death on earth (present moment living). Death does not frighten me. I see a peaceful &amp; natural death as a well-deserved reward of permanent rest for my arthritic limbs after having lived an eventful, fulfilling &amp; productive but none-the-less exhausting life &amp; having acquitted oneself of all responsibilities.</p>
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</div>America's Battle is with the Religious Righttag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-26:2182797:BlogPost:27771582017-10-26T14:30:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
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<p><span class="font-size-3">People keep asking, what is going on in America today? Why is it so different than anything we can remember before this? And, I've taken to screaming this in their ears:</span></p>
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<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">The religious right is doing this to us!</span></strong></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Most people don't or can't keep their eye on that ball because their liberal religions claim to idealize equality and many progressive…</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">People keep asking, what is going on in America today? Why is it so different than anything we can remember before this? And, I've taken to screaming this in their ears:</span></p>
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<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">The religious right is doing this to us!</span></strong></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Most people don't or can't keep their eye on that ball because their liberal religions claim to idealize equality and many progressive goals, so they can't fully appreciate what's really happening. They can't imagine such fanaticism. They go to their lovefests on Sunday and enjoy seeing their friends. Their ministers preach from a liberally interpreted Bible where they choose to literally ignore huge chunks of this book in order to justify using it as the basis of their religion.Their own followers have forgotten all those bad bits that promote inequality, slavery, women's rights, children's rights and discourage science and good information and knowledge.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>They've never lived under the crushing rule of fanatics.</strong></span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">They're trying to adjust mentally to a political battle that seems different than ever before but are unwilling or unaware or in denial of the fact that the religious base is happy, happy, happy with seeing all the gains made over the last 100 years stripped away.</span></p>
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<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">Maybe these eggheads need to find out what it's really like to be under the iron fist of religious zealots. </span></strong></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">I happen to know firsthand, because I was raised in a fanatical religion. Some days, I feel like I just left the cult that I grew up in. It was decades ago, however, but what's happening in America right now smacks of those dark days. I get so frustrated with good hearted people who keep trying to find a way to meet in the middle of the road on this religion thing. Stop it! We're going to lose it all, if you don't realize that the social gains made in the last 150 were in spite of religious dogma. These are scary people, many of them in seats of power all the way up to our Vice President and across the nation on the local level. They are driven by an ideology that is Bible based and they dream of America being run just like they run their churches.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Our freedom fighters of the past understood this better, perhaps. In the words of Elizabeth Cady Stanton,</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"<i>The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women's emancipation."</i></span></p>
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<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">Religion has always been dangerous to societies but when it gets mixed with government, we're f---ed.</span></strong></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Many of my liberal friends get this but can't remember it. Some of them even try to fight what they consider bad religion with good religion. I happen to think it's all bad but it's definitely all bad if it's mixed in with our government. This is not going to end well for us unless we can recognize the root of the problem, where these kinky ideas are coming from and who is really responsible for trying to drag us back into the dark ages.</span></p>
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<p><strong style="font-size: 12pt;">Any liberal with a lick of sense should see the rise of the religious right as the most dangerous thing to life as we know it in this country.</strong></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">If you don't understand this, then you may very well deserve what follows. If you didn't see this coming, I can kind of sort of overlook that ,but if you don't see what it is now, you're part of the problem. That's not okay with me. You're going to ruin not just your own life but mine and my family's and it'll be pretty darn hard for me to forgive you for that.</span></p>
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<p><em><span class="font-size-3">I'm a myth buster. My recent published book - Have We Been Screwed? Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales - can be purchased on Amazon.</span> </em></p>
<p><em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://amzn.to/2wDEabD">http://amzn.to/2wDEabD</a></em></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3"> </span></p>Everything is designed by god(s), did you say?tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-23:2182797:BlogPost:27767732017-10-23T11:59:38.000ZV.N.K.Kumarhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/VNKKumar
<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><strong>Sreeni:</strong> Prof. Kumar, I have been having a lot of debates in our book club meetings with many religious people. They claim that the universe is a special creation designed by a supreme creator. However, I can’t understand how a sane person can persuade himself that beneficent and omnipotent gods would have created such a vast number of animals in our planet with the specific purpose of spending their entire life tormenting and devouring other…</div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><strong>Sreeni:</strong> Prof. Kumar, I have been having a lot of debates in our book club meetings with many religious people. They claim that the universe is a special creation designed by a supreme creator. However, I can’t understand how a sane person can persuade himself that beneficent and omnipotent gods would have created such a vast number of animals in our planet with the specific purpose of spending their entire life tormenting and devouring other animals?</div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span>How could beneficent and omnipotent gods have designed ticks, lice, fleas, bedbugs and mosquitoes with the specific intention of feeding themselves from the living bodies of humans and animals? How can a sane person persuade himself that benevolent god(s) would have designed a cat with the specific purpose of wounding a mouse with its teeth and playing with the bleeding body until it slowly dies in pain and terror?</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span>They claim that the universe makes sense only if God exists. They believe that only a god could have created the wonder of the planets orbiting the sun, but they fail to explain how an omnipotent and infinitely good creator can send meteors, asteroids and comets crashing into planets.</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span><strong>Me:</strong> I am with you in everything you said. Also they provide no explanation about how an omnipotent and infinitely good god can allow such harmful sickness as a five-pound tumour on a small girl. However her parents are so delusive that they believe God helped the surgeons' hands to remove it to save her life.</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span>This is incontrovertible evidence that the brain of a religious person does not have the capacity to judge properly the facts of reality. They give God credit for the removal, but don’t blame him for the tumour. They even argue, in Abrahamic religions, that God had a fine and noble purpose in causing the suffering or in the case of Hinduism, they attribute it to 'Prarabdha Karma'.</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span><strong>Sreeni:</strong> I suppose such a type of rationalization is based on a distorted perception of reality. How can an omnipotent and infinitely good god allow the birth of conjoined twins and other freaks of nature, as well as myriad genetic birth defects, which are unworthy of benevolent design? A birth defect is an abnormal development of the fetus resulting in malformation, growth retardation, functional disorders and death. Birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality.</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span>The religious offer the argument from design as one of the proofs for the existence of God. This argument infers from the order and beauty that we perceive from the universe that there is an intelligent designer and creator of the universe. However, the perception of order and beauty is an inherent characteristic of the way that we perceive, and not a part of the external reality. The argument assumes that the universe was designed in order to prove that it is the work of a designer.</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span><strong>Me:</strong> You are right. This argument suppresses evidence. It does not explain why such a benevolent and almighty god allows many babies to be born without brains. It does not explain why so many good people are suffering monstrous tortures such as cancer. It does not explain why so many evil people are relaxing in the beach and enjoying power and reputation. It does not explain why earthquakes are shaking the planet. It does not explain why hurricanes and tornadoes kill thousands of lives and destroy everything on their way.</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span><strong>Sreeni:</strong> The one thing which makes me roll with laughter is when the defenders of the design delusion argue that these awful events seem abominable to us because we are ignorant of God’s plan and vision, and we can never know how beneficent these atrocious disasters really are.</span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span> </span></div>
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<div><div class="_1mf _1mj"><span><strong>Me:</strong> Phew! One can never win over these morons.</span></div>
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</div>5 ways to destroy christian argumentstag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-22:2182797:BlogPost:27767312017-10-22T00:59:40.000ZPhillip Locohttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/PhillipLoco
<p>5 ways to destroy christian arguments </p>
<p><a href="http://www.freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/5_ways_to_destroy_christians">http://www.freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/5_ways_to_destroy_christians</a></p>
<p>5 ways to destroy christian arguments </p>
<p><a href="http://www.freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/5_ways_to_destroy_christians">http://www.freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/5_ways_to_destroy_christians</a></p>Everything you think you know about Satanism is Wrong.tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-20:2182797:BlogPost:27764302017-10-20T22:31:06.000ZPhillip Locohttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/PhillipLoco
<p>Everything you think you know about Satanism is Wrong.</p>
<p><br/><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/satanist-reverend-religions-everything-know-facts-devil-worship-church-ashley-s-palmer-a7767641.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/satanist-reverend-religions-everything-know-facts-devil-worship-church-ashley-s-palmer-a7767641.html</a></p>
<p>Everything you think you know about Satanism is Wrong.</p>
<p><br/><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/satanist-reverend-religions-everything-know-facts-devil-worship-church-ashley-s-palmer-a7767641.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/satanist-reverend-religions-everything-know-facts-devil-worship-church-ashley-s-palmer-a7767641.html</a></p>Why Liberal Christians Annoy Metag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-20:2182797:BlogPost:27763092017-10-20T19:00:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p></p>
<p>Liberal Christians seem so benign. They hold many of the same political points of view as I do. To one degree or another they also support a secular society. Unlike the conservative Christian or even worse the radicalized Christian, the liberal Christian is less strident, more open minded, less dogmatic and more accepting of other belief systems. Do they do less harm than the more militant fellow Christian soldiers? I contend that in some ways they actually contribute much harm to…</p>
<p></p>
<p>Liberal Christians seem so benign. They hold many of the same political points of view as I do. To one degree or another they also support a secular society. Unlike the conservative Christian or even worse the radicalized Christian, the liberal Christian is less strident, more open minded, less dogmatic and more accepting of other belief systems. Do they do less harm than the more militant fellow Christian soldiers? I contend that in some ways they actually contribute much harm to the progressive movement and equality for all. In fact, Christians of all types slow down steady progress in that direction.</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Why?</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>Because their struggle to cling to superstition, to find a way to meet all religions somewhere in the middle, even to reform traditional religions can't succeed because they are unwilling to admit that the very scriptures that they hold dear, the very book that sits on the stand beside their beds perpetrates inequality to women, abuse of children, racism, violence as means to resolve conflict and a patriarchal world view. The Bible is brimming with statements and decrees that have kept women, for example, under the domination of men. If we want to question why the western world is struggling with violence toward women and inequality, we need look no further than our Biblical roots. </p>
<p></p>
<p>When you have verses in the Bible recommending that women should be in subjection to their husbands, that children should be beaten for disrespecting their parents, that war should be waged because there is a chosen race and many other toxic ideologies, a reformed Christian must spend a lot of time explaining why these toxic threads throughout the Bible meant something other than what is written. And they do. </p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Liberal Christians are forced to find explanations for why god said one thing but meant another.</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>In their quest to keep the Bible central to their walk with god as well as pertinent to modern societies, they must resort to claims that the scriptures are metaphorical and other convoluted explanations for why such vile things as slavery or stoning of wayward women are suggested as acceptable behavior. We now know that these are inhumane statements but apparently their god didn't know it at the time. No, wait a minute, their god did know, because he's all knowing but he isn't particularly clever when it comes to the written word. His metaphors sucked. If I were to use any of these cruel statements as a slogan for a business, for example, I'd have a law suit slapped on me so quickly, it would make my head spin. </p>
<p>And, then there's the idea of a new dispensation. Supposedly the New Testament ushered in a new age of love over law. Jesus was hipper than his dad. Of course, the fact that god flipped his point of view really can be confusing. Ignoring an entire collection of inspired writing, the biggest bit of the Bible was no longer completely pertinent to our lives. These new age changes made god look like a regular Joe Blow with a bad business plan, however. Something just doesn't jive. </p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Why can't liberal Christians retire the Bible?</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>Put it where it belongs in the dusty trash bins of outdated mythologies? Because they're still superstitious. They still want or need to believe in a god that is somehow involved personally in the lives of humans even though there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support this longing. They still fear that if they call the Bible what it is, an outdated, ignorant text that was always filled with lies and poor information, they'll be punished in the next life. So they try as much as possible to ignore these horrible passages in the Bible even while they fight for women's right, gay rights and equality for all. Even when they champion science and new knowledge about why things are the way they are, they cling to a book that is so anti-science as to be no better than the fairy tales we were told as children about witches who eat little kids and monsters that hold young girls captive until they agree to marry them. </p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Liberal Christians bug me to no end.</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>They've taken an old story, given it a new title and then kept their fingers crossed that nobody will notice the details. They are helping to perpetuate ignorance. They replace real solutions with the call to prayer and true inspiration with the reading of scriptures that deny our ability as a species to rely on rational thought and our creative natures to solve problems. Ultimately, they are holding back progress. One day, future generations are going to look back on their silly explanations and see liberal Christians for who they really were all along, sad examples of our ignorant past who helped to prolong a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering for mankind.</p>
<p></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-3">I'm a myth buster. My recent published book - Have We Been Screwed? Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales - can be purchased on Amazon.</span> </em></p>
<p><em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://amzn.to/2wDEabD">http://amzn.to/2wDEabD</a></em></p>Atheist Foundation of Australia are at it again!tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-17:2182797:BlogPost:27760222017-10-17T11:25:47.000ZVangelishttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/Vangelis
<p>I'm beginning to think that the AFA is a little anachronistic organisation desperately trying to make itself seem relevant. It appears to be joining the ranks of the theists in making all sorts of unsupported scientific claims. Is it not enough just to be atheist? Is it not enough just to state that they lack belief in god(s)? Unfortunately for us besieged Australian atheists, it is not enough for them. The particular statement that sticks with me is the following:</p>
<p>"No personality or…</p>
<p>I'm beginning to think that the AFA is a little anachronistic organisation desperately trying to make itself seem relevant. It appears to be joining the ranks of the theists in making all sorts of unsupported scientific claims. Is it not enough just to be atheist? Is it not enough just to state that they lack belief in god(s)? Unfortunately for us besieged Australian atheists, it is not enough for them. The particular statement that sticks with me is the following:</p>
<p>"No personality or mind can exist without the process of living matter to sustain it."</p>
<p>I have a number of issues with this statement. Firstly, what is an atheist organisation doing speculating on the nature of mind and consciousness? What does it have to do with a god or gods? Secondly why not leave this question to the scientists and physicians that are currently studying it? There are peer reviewed detailed studies published by multiple physicians which discuss this very topic. In fact, one paper states the following in its abstract:</p>
<p>"2% described awareness with explicit recall of ‘seeing’ and ‘hearing’ actual events related to their resuscitation. One had a verifiable period of conscious awareness during which time cerebral function was not expected."</p>
<p>ref <a href="http://www.resuscitationjournal.com/article/S0300-9572%2814%2900739-4/pdf">http://www.resuscitationjournal.com/article/S0300-9572%2814%2900739-4/pdf</a></p>
<p>This one statement point blank contradicts the AFA "philosophy" statement. So why is the AFA engaging in "philosophical" statement of this type instead of sticking to its business of being an atheist organisation?</p>
<p>Well, I'm not sure if anyone can answer this question except for the AFA itself but I thought that I would share my frustration of their antics with others. Maybe I will feel better at least!</p>THE DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMPtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-15:2182797:BlogPost:27756692017-10-15T22:55:28.000ZDonald R Barberahttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/drbarbera
THE DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMP<br />
<br />
This is must reading for anyone concerned for the country's well being under the leadership of Donald Trump. Twenty seven psychiatrist specifically look over almost 30 years of tapes, newspaper articles and social media to evaluate Donald Trump as Commander-In-Chief and the picture isn't pretty. What they write is hardly a surprise for any watching his first 297 of Trump's time in the Oval Office. Already there are doubts regarding Trump's stability and toxic…
THE DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMP<br />
<br />
This is must reading for anyone concerned for the country's well being under the leadership of Donald Trump. Twenty seven psychiatrist specifically look over almost 30 years of tapes, newspaper articles and social media to evaluate Donald Trump as Commander-In-Chief and the picture isn't pretty. What they write is hardly a surprise for any watching his first 297 of Trump's time in the Oval Office. Already there are doubts regarding Trump's stability and toxic narcissism. The book is written from a psychiatrist's viewpoint but it is straight forward and to the point in saying the Americans did itself no favor putting a man so unstable in the White House. I highly recommend this book. It addresses extreme narcissism, bullying, low self esteem, the tendency toward dishonesty even when the lies are transparent. There is no way this book can be reviewed in this short space but I'll close by saying get this book and remember it for the 2018 midterms and of course 2020.<br />
<br />
I haven't finished reading the book, but what I've read so far is chilling, what's more, we all seen the behaviors demonstrated regularly like his need to get even. He had no need of getting in NFL business but because NBA champions decided no to do to the White House he went on a Twitter rant while the catastrophe in Puerto Rico received none. Then he wants to compare his IQ with Senator McCorkle after McCorkle criticized him.<br />
<br />
I will update this when I finish reading it.The Bronte Sisters and the Evolution of Societiestag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-13:2182797:BlogPost:27754862017-10-13T15:00:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p><span class="font-size-4">I have long loved the works of the Bronte sisters, Emily, Anne and Charlotte. Such disturbing stories like Jane Eyre provided me with endless hours of entertainment as a young person. I was forbidden the reading of fiction in my devout Christian home, but I managed to hide books from the library and read them after dark with a flashlight under the sheets of my bed. As a young person, I related with the bleak outlook that the Bronte sisters captured in their books.…</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">I have long loved the works of the Bronte sisters, Emily, Anne and Charlotte. Such disturbing stories like Jane Eyre provided me with endless hours of entertainment as a young person. I was forbidden the reading of fiction in my devout Christian home, but I managed to hide books from the library and read them after dark with a flashlight under the sheets of my bed. As a young person, I related with the bleak outlook that the Bronte sisters captured in their books. Growing up in such harsh, backward times under the crushing limitations of a pious father and an era of little technological advancement — </span><strong><span class="font-size-4">their personal lives were even grimmer than mine.</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Two older sisters and their mother passed away while the three authors were growing up. Their mother had six children between 1814 and 1820. She died at 38 of ovarian cancer. In 1825 the two oldest sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, died after falling ill at boarding school. They were 11 and 12.</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">This was a common story back in the good old days.</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">Their brother Branwell grew up to fight addiction and depression problems. He was the hope of the family because he was the only boy. He died at age 31. Emily died of tuberculosis at age 30. Anne died of tuberculosis at 29. Charlotte died of pulmonary tuberculosis at age 38 while carrying a child. The father outlived his entire family.</span></p>
<p><strong style="font-size: 14pt;">All three girls wrote in secret and published under pen names.</strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">It was still considered doubtful that girls could produce literature of merit. They were also afraid that it would disappoint their father because he was a devout Christian who was uncomfortable with certain topics. They remained anonymous authors to even their father for some time even though Jane Eyre was very popular and was making the family much needed money.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Just another tale of women supporting a family without consent.</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">All of this culminated with Charlotte's death in 1855, a mere 162 years ago. I have to remind myself every day how far we've come as a species, how much personal autonomy women now have in many parts of the world. I have to remember that we have more than doubled the lifespan and eradicated many diseases that use to wipe out entire families.</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Our old cemeteries are full of these graves.</span></strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">I was fortunate to get to visit the parsonage in Haworth, England where the Bronte sisters lived. This was where they allowed their pens to transport them away from the grim realities of their everyday lives to a world created by their potent imaginations, a place where love might triumph and second-hand adventures served as a cathartic exercise. I was moved to tears more than once. I, too, had been forced to write in secret while living at home, but reading forbidden books and writing stories kept me alive. The Bronte sister's books had helped me escape my life as a child living under the tyrannical rule of a religious cult. We were sisters in all the ways that counted. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Every time I get discouraged with man's inhumanity to man, unbridled greed, the harm done by radical religions, inequality, political failures, fascism, slow progress and the forever wars that never cease to steal the lives of our young, I try to look back to former days. That gives me hope.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>It's imperative that we keep making progress, because I brought two children into this world.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One of my children has produced a child. I have a responsibility to do what I can to make this world a better place, not for me, but for them. Otherwise, what's the point in all of this casual breeding down through the ages, thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of lives. For what? Why be the species with the big brain and continue to produce offspring if we can't provide an environment where being alive is worthwhile?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="font-size-4"><strong>The world has made a bit of progress, dear Bronte sisters. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><font size="4">The evolution of societies and technology is our only hope. I'm pinning my dreams for my offspring on that. </font></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><em><span class="font-size-3">I'm a myth buster. My recent published book - Have We Been Screwed? Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales - can be purchased on Amazon.</span> </em></p>
<p><em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://amzn.to/2wDEabD">http://amzn.to/2wDEabD</a></em></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>NONBELIEVER'S READING LISTtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-10:2182797:BlogPost:27736502017-10-10T15:30:00.000ZDonald R Barberahttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/drbarbera
<p><b><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/RR45IMUXU74OBAcAD7mToijacwSXiw98wgd6GeiyJm35dkDLPlJrnh*rVqc923GObFJuTc3X90sBTk-gJOQeUqTGCYpu8pWj/books.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/RR45IMUXU74OBAcAD7mToijacwSXiw98wgd6GeiyJm35dkDLPlJrnh*rVqc923GObFJuTc3X90sBTk-gJOQeUqTGCYpu8pWj/books.jpg" width="299"></img></a> Don’s Abbreviated Reading List</b></p>
<p>Many of the books I'm going to list you’ve read. Nevertheless, many haven’t read them and this overview might be of interest to those who haven't had the opportunity or time to read any of them.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The first book, I’m going to suggest is King James Version Bible.…</p>
<p><b><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/RR45IMUXU74OBAcAD7mToijacwSXiw98wgd6GeiyJm35dkDLPlJrnh*rVqc923GObFJuTc3X90sBTk-gJOQeUqTGCYpu8pWj/books.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/RR45IMUXU74OBAcAD7mToijacwSXiw98wgd6GeiyJm35dkDLPlJrnh*rVqc923GObFJuTc3X90sBTk-gJOQeUqTGCYpu8pWj/books.jpg" width="299" class="align-left"/></a>Don’s Abbreviated Reading List</b></p>
<p>Many of the books I'm going to list you’ve read. Nevertheless, many haven’t read them and this overview might be of interest to those who haven't had the opportunity or time to read any of them.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The first book, I’m going to suggest is King James Version Bible. However, in reading it, I ask that you read it as a person who is not a Christian, Muslim or having any religious affiliation at all. Read it as a child who knows nothing of God and make no judgments. I want you to be surprised if you can. I know withholding judgment will be the hardest part because we are all products of society, our environment and our parents.</p>
<p><em>The Bible</em>—What do you really know about the Bible? Do you know who wrote it? How many books are in the Bible? How many were left out? Why were they left out? </p>
<p>Were than any Gospels written by females? What are the original sayings of Jesus? Do you know where they came from? What was the original language of the Bible? How many times was it translated before it reached the King James Version? Why did the King James Version come about? What is the oldest religion stemming from the Bible? When did that change? Who changed it? The questions could go on and on, but for a book that sells so many copies, it is surprising how many Christians don’t know a thing about how their touchstone book came about.</p>
<p><em>The Koran</em>—After you finish the Bible I would suggest reading the Koran with the same intensity and neutrality and reserve your judgment. I also suggest the Jewish Bible and Pentateuch which are included in the Old Testament and tell many of the same stories. Besides, this is not about deciding which is better written, more believable or a decider of faith; it is about reading, understanding and thinking.</p>
<p>The remainders of the books I suggest are random in nature, but they all tie back to thinking and reading. Some will be from Harvard scholars and some from backyard philosophers. Still, thoughts of this nature are more than off the cuff rambling. In either case, these books reveal the effort these men and women went through trying to be fair, balanced, unbiased in thought and the conclusions they reached. Some reach no conclusions but raise interesting questions worthy of further thought.</p>
<p>So, here is a list for your perusal. I would describe the reading in these books as high school level and above. Some are extremely difficult and others can be handled by a 4<sup>th</sup> grader. Nevertheless, I think they go a long way in promoting thinking and by going through them conscientiously, reading and understanding are improved.</p>
<p><b>Reading List</b></p>
<p><i>Don’t Know Much About the Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned</i>—Kenneth C. Davis—Basically, leads the reader through the Bible and explains passages and why they are there. Also, exposes the reader to some of the political history behind the Bible including the Nicea Council when the Bible was voted into existence.</p>
<p><i>The Bible as History</i>—Werner Keller—Want to know how much of what occurred in the Bible can actually be tracked in history? Here it is. An interesting read for knowledge seekers.</p>
<p><i>God’s Funeral</i>—A.N. Wilson— Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche first said that God was dead. Many have said it since then, but the funeral has yet to be held. This book takes an interesting looking at the presence or lack of presence God in the universe. Excellent Read!</p>
<p><i>Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ</i>—Alvar Ellegard—Here’s a look from a researcher who says that the Jesus I the Bible actually existed 100 years before and was used as a model for the present day Jesus.</p>
<p><i>Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism</i>—Bishop John Shelby Spong—An extremely interesting read from an Episcopalian Bishop who think fundamentalism is killing the chances of Christianity of maintaining its hold as a mainline religion. Makes sense!</p>
<p><i>Nonbelief and Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God</i>—Theodore M. Drange—This will certainly piss off the traditionalists, but the arguments are based soundly and give something to think about whether is any truth in them is up to the reader.</p>
<p><i>And Man Created God</i>—Chandler Smith</p>
<p><i>Can We Be Good Without God?—</i>Robert Buckman—I love this one because it is a well-thought argument saying that basically, man needs no divine rule to set him on the path to righteousness. He postulates that proper behavior is more of a survival mechanism than divine decree.</p>
<p><i>Saint Peter</i>—Michael Grant—A biography of Saint Peter—an interesting man. Unfortunately, it gives little insight into his life as an apostle.</p>
<p><i>Living Without Religion: Eupraxsophy</i>—Paul Kurtz—Humanism is the story here. Humanism is basically a stance that says God isn’t necessary for anyone to do the right thing and Paul Kurtz leads the crowd when it comes to humanism as the head of the American Humanist Society. Interesting if not persuasive.</p>
<p><i>Why Christianity Must Change or Die</i>—John Shelby Spong—Another book from Bishop Spong saying that unless Christianity “gets real” it will have no one but fundamentalists left and that will be the death knell for the kinder gentler Christianity associated with the Bible.</p>
<p><i>The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold</i>—Acharya S—This book makes no ifs, and or buts about it, the Bible and the Christ story are nothing more than wishful thinking and largely a hoax. Logic may be skewed and the reason a bit shallow, but a good read from the standpoint of knowing what others think.</p>
<p><i>2000 Years of Disbelief</i>—James A. Haught—You thought it all started a few years ago didn’t you? Disbelief has been around since the first time someone said there is a God and someone at the back of the crown mumbled, “that’s a crock if I heard one.” Haught takes you on a 2,000 look at disbelief including a brief view of people who call themselves Christian atheists. Yeh, confused me too.</p>
<p><i>The Necessity of Atheism</i>—Percy Bysshe Shelley—All you literature buffs must recognize the name. Perhaps, if I add his royal address, Lord Percy, maybe that will help you recognize him. His major works included <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alastor%2C_or_The_Spirit_of_Solitude" title="Alastor, or The Spirit of Solitude">Alastor</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonais" title="Adonais">Adonais</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolt_of_Islam" title="The Revolt of Islam">The Revolt of Islam</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Unbound" title="Prometheus Unbound">Prometheus Unbound</a>. He was married to Mary Shelly, author of Frankenstein.</p>
<p><i>Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit</i>—Garry Willis—There no sin at the Vatican, is there? Read this and you’ll find out a two or thing. Very interesting.</p>
<p><i>The Dark Side of Christian History</i>—Helen Ellerbe—Care to know how many died during the Crusades? What about during the Spanish Inquisition? Did you know the Inquisition didn’t end until the 1800’s? Read all the things you need to be scared of.</p>
<p><i>Crossing the Threshold of Hope</i>—Pope John Paul II—Before he died, Pope Paul issue this moving book about peace, spirituality, morality and the church—interesting reading.</p>
<p><i>Deceptions and Myths of the Bible</i>—Lloyd M. Graham—If you’re a stickler for facts and accuracy, this book will certainly interest you. Did you know there are two creation stories in the Bible? Were there really any wise men? A lot of interesting talk about contradictions in the Bible and where to find them.</p>
<p><i>The Faith Healers</i>—James Randi—An all-time favorite of mine, James Randi. Once billed as the Amazing Randi, a former magician turned debunker unmasked preacher Peter Popoff as a fraud on the Johnny Carson Show. It turns out God’s frequency is 39.17 MHz on the pocket transmitter which h Popoff used with a hidden earpiece to get answers from his wife backstage. In this book, Randi unmasks the notorious faith healers from the Filipino spiritual surgeons to Benny Hinn with his puff of breath healing.</p>
<p><i>The Book Your Church Doesn’t Want You to Read</i>—Tim C. Leedom—This book has so much in it, I don’t know where to start in describing it other than to say, everything you thought you knew about religion is called into question and on solid ground.</p>
<p><i>When Religion Becomes Evil</i>—Charles Kimball—In the light of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Kimball looks at the excesses of religion and how it still affects the world today even though we supposedly live in a secular state.</p>
<p><i>Religion and the Spiritual in Carl Jung</i>—Ann Belford Ulanov—Noted psychiatrist and innovator in the field, Carl Jung had plenty to say about religion and spirituality. This is definitely different reading.</p>
<p><i>The Demon-Haunted World</i>—Carl Sagan—I always liked Carl Sagan. Great personality and plenty of knowledge. The Demon-Haunted World takes on those who subscribe to creationist theories. It is also a good primer on the universe from a secular point of view.</p>
<p><i>Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed</i>—Laurence Gardner—Reading this may make you think of the DaVinci Code and with good reason. Ideas for the story came from pages such as these. This is not the first book that suspects that Jesus led a natural life complete with family and wife.</p>
<p><i>Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls</i>—Norman Golb—The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered almost 30 years before anyone knew of them while scholars poured over them trying to verify their authenticity. This is that story and what was determined about them.</p>
<p><i>A History of God</i>—Karen Armstrong—Quite interesting piece showing how the idea of God has come down through the ages. Of course, there is the Christian God, the notion of God existed long before Yahweh. Armstrong takes us through early Babylonia, India, the Norse countries, Africa and more.</p>
<p><i>In Defense of Secular Humanism</i>—Paul Kurtz—An explanation and treatise on humanism from one of the key leaders of the movement. A clearly reasoned approach to living a prosperous and thoughtful life without relying on magic.</p>
<p><i>The Lost Gospel: Q the Original Saying of Jesus</i>—Marcus Borg—Want to know what Jesus really said? Here is the Q document you may have heard of or you should have heard of if you really know your Christian practices.</p>
<p><i>Critiques of God</i>—Peter Angeles—This book is an anthology of essays regarding God. I give it a mixed review because not all the essays are as well thought out as they could be. Still, they at least give pause to think.</p>
<p><i>Farewell to God</i>—Charles Templeton—A book from a former deacon who left the church and became a humanist.</p>
<p><i>The Black Humanist Experience: An Alternative to Religion—</i>Norm R. Allen Jr—A black humanist and one of the leaders of the movement in the black community, Norm Allen and his brother, Dave, believe a good and productive life can be led without resorting to religion or God. A book filled with stories from other humanists from all over the country and world. Good read.</p>
<p><i>Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei</i>—Robert Hutchison—You also heard about this organization in the movie the DaVinci Code. It is real and exists. It is quite secretive organization. A stiff read but well worth the effort.</p>
<p><i>Is God a White Racist</i>—William R. Jones—This one took me by surprise. The title alone threw me for a loop, but after I read it, I found that the question bears answering, especially tied in with today’s idea of liberation theology. Good read.</p>
<p><i>Why Lord?: Suffering and Evil in Black Theology</i>—Theodicy has to do with suffering under a loving and benevolent God. It is a difficult subject because it challenges why bad things sometimes happen to good people. This book will not make it any better, but you will see that someone is at least trying to explain it in a religious context.</p>
<p><i>The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason</i>—Sam Harris—Sam Harris is a noted thinker and former theologian who examines the effects of religion on people.</p>
<p><i>Sex Lives of the Popes</i>—Nigel Cawthorne—This book comes from the same people who brought us “Sex Lives of the Presidents.” I thought it hilarious and interesting. Did you know there was a female pope? Once the Catholic Church had three popes at once. Forbidding priests to marry had nothing to do with Paul. Find out why by reading this short book.</p>
<p><i>Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist</i>—Dan Barker—An interesting story from start to finish. I expected some big event that changed this man’s life but it wasn’t. It all came about because of knowledge. It’s a fairly simple story, but for the people it affected it created a mass of turmoil of Dan’s decision to leave the ministry.</p>
<p><i>The First Messiah: Investigating the Savior Before Christ</i>—Michael O. Wise—This research finds Jesus in another era before the Jesus of Christianity and speculates that it is this Jesus the Christian Jesus was modeled after.</p>
<p><i>Pulpit Confessions</i>—N. Moore—Want to know when to shift gears while preaching? Need to know how to make them dig deeper. Do you know how to whoop? A pulpit exposé on the practice of black preachers to move the congregation. Consider the source.</p>
<p><i>African American Humanism: An Anthology</i>—Norm R. Allen Jr—Humanism for everyone. An easy to understand anthology of how various African Americans switched to Humanism.</p>
<p><i>Why I am not a Christian</i>—Bertrand Russell—Classic book by Russell delineates in logical and reasonable fashion why he is not a Christian. Good reading if you have no preconceptions. Hard to take if you are committed. Nevertheless an important read.</p>
<p><i>The Militant Agnostic</i>—E. Haldeman-Julius—Essays from a newspaper publisher who became an agnostic.</p>
<p><i>Who Told You that You Were Naked</i>—John Jacob Raub—A look at living a real Christian life by simply doing what is asked of you in the Bible. Interesting read.</p>
<p>All of these books sit on my shelves and along with many more. I try my best to read everything and anything that will expand my mind, including the another person’s opinion that differs from mine. In fact, I find the other guy’s opinion especially helpful in formulating strategies. I never liked Rush Limburger but I listened to him to know what the “ditto” heads were thinking. I don’t agree with much of political rhetoric today but I stay up to date. I may even change my opinion if presented with evidence.</p>
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<p></p>Anti-Aristocracytag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-08:2182797:BlogPost:27731912017-10-08T22:00:00.000ZJameshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/James644
<p>There is an evil strain permeating American culture and that is the culture of aristocracy. It has been eroding the egalitarian values this country was founded on. I fear liberals who believe that all humans are equal are loosing the argument by those that want to divide humans into class to protect the status quo. These aristocrats argue from the vantage point of power, that they are where they are due to some sort of superior character trait and it is equal opportunity that allowed them…</p>
<p>There is an evil strain permeating American culture and that is the culture of aristocracy. It has been eroding the egalitarian values this country was founded on. I fear liberals who believe that all humans are equal are loosing the argument by those that want to divide humans into class to protect the status quo. These aristocrats argue from the vantage point of power, that they are where they are due to some sort of superior character trait and it is equal opportunity that allowed them acquire their lot in life. This is misleading and people are falling for it. The poor are poor because they are lazy they say. They shouldn't have to work hard to support them. These are strawman arguments that don't address the socioeconomic condition that lead to and support poverty and the culture surrounding it. </p>
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<p>There is no scientific evidence that some people are inherently superior to other humans. Superior in what way? The ability to indulge in selfish behavior in the pursuit of wealth? The ability to throw a football better than anyone? The ability to empathize? To create a fascinating work of art? Teach other humans? Make new discoveries? Higher intelligence? What decides if one is better than another: The subjective perspective of human beings. There is not an objective group of humans or even an individual that is superior or better than any other. It depends entirely on the context. It is subjective in nature.</p>
<p>I am a liberal and believe in the equality of all humans because we are genetically mostly the same. Even genetic differences don't indicate objective status stratification. We have more in common than uncommon. The differences are only exaggerated by the aristocrats who want to justify that they can rule over us by a position of superiority that they themselves define and a system they maintain. They want to keep their power and their wealth. They are anti-democratic. They are the new American aristocrats. </p>
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<p>Say no to aristocrats as well as pseudoscience. </p>The Unholy Alliance of Gods and Countriestag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-08:2182797:BlogPost:27731622017-10-08T14:00:00.000ZTeresa Robertshttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TeresaRoberts
<p>America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sounds like a song. Oh, wait a minute, it is a song. And, patriots everywhere in this exceptional country sing it, stand for it and well up inside whenever they hear it. Patriotism, a manufactured cultural response to wherever a human is born, still rings loud and clear in most countries. I've never been anywhere in the world, and I've been lots and lots of places, that lacked this feeling of love for country. The commitment to a birth…</p>
<p>America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sounds like a song. Oh, wait a minute, it is a song. And, patriots everywhere in this exceptional country sing it, stand for it and well up inside whenever they hear it. Patriotism, a manufactured cultural response to wherever a human is born, still rings loud and clear in most countries. I've never been anywhere in the world, and I've been lots and lots of places, that lacked this feeling of love for country. The commitment to a birth place is always flagrant and obvious. So much so that mothers and fathers are willing to sacrifice the lives of their children for this random membership within an imaginary border that none of us got to choose no matter where we found ourselves as we exited our mother's womb to encounter a cold world on the outside. Until we die or unless we become refugees, the country club is one club where everyone gets full membership, but it ain't free. You're automatically signed up at birth and the annual dues is taken from your hide for the rest of your life. I'm not talking about taxes either. In every imaginable and unimaginable way wherever we're born determines our perception of the world and limits our creativity and autonomy. Yet, most people don't seem to mind and even those that do tend to eventually forget the reasons that made them question their membership once in a while.</p>
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<p><strong>There are lots of reasons why this allegiance to country is so rampant and might I say a very dependable response to country.</strong></p>
<p>Certainly, our age-old tribal instincts play into this predictable phenomenon. We can't help ourselves. We start out completely dependent and by the time we're eighteen our thoughts and perceptions, beliefs and abilities to envision anything outside our personal box have been determined. We are for the most part robotic by design and thus feel completely at home even in a place that goes against our grain. To be part of the tribe is as natural to us as eating or drinking because without the tribe we have no identity. There's been lots of research on the tribal nature of humanity and the benefits of cooperation over competition as well. Not everything about being part of a tribe limits us. Much of being part of a tribe is beneficial, but the flip side is very dangerous and most people don't even know it.</p>
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<p><strong>I contend that religion, another cultural construct like patriotism, has long bolstered the commitment to country as well.</strong></p>
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<p>In fact, often in the past, religion was the rule of the country or at least a significant part of governance. We're seeing it again in modern American politics. Old time religion raising its ugly head in places of power. The religious right have made a concerted effort in the last decades to position themselves in such places so as to influence policy and laws, limit personal autonomy and freedom according to their moral constructs that they believe are of a divine nature. So, we are seeing freedoms taken from women, children, gays, people of color , anyone that is perceived to be unsanctioned by god to control their own lives. Of course, the people at the top, largely white males claim they answer to an even higher power in this patriarchal, bible-based world order. They are in power because god placed them there. These are not new ideas but old recycled ideas that simply will not die as long as humans give a rat's ass about superstition and religion. Even the most benign religious doctrines adhere to this kind of thinking, so I contend that the religions of left-leaning politics are helping to support this kind of ideology even if they think of themselves as reformed, enlightened or progressive. They don't see it. I have plenty of friends who are addicted to superstition, nice liberal people who just can't separate themselves from the god of their culture. They tire me almost more than the hardened cases of far right foaming at the mouth radicals, because I know they are going to lose this battle and it'll be their own damn fault. </p>
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<p>We will never be able to overcome the myths about god and country that our culture places at our feet as holy, holier than any other country, until we recognize that all of this flows from the same stream of thought with the same goal in mind —<strong> someone always wants to control us</strong>. Mythologies are dangerous. They will keep us in chains, inspire us to pay allegiance to ideologies that harm us and lead us down the path to slavery and even death, all in the name of a god and country we never even got to choose. </p>
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<p><em><span class="font-size-3">I'm a myth buster. My recent published book - Have We Been Screwed? Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales - can be purchased on Amazon.</span> </em></p>
<p><em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://amzn.to/2wDEabD">http://amzn.to/2wDEabD</a></em></p>
<p></p>Religiosity & peak mental healthtag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-08:2182797:BlogPost:27731592017-10-08T07:13:24.000ZV.N.K.Kumarhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/VNKKumar
<p>A mentally healthy person has to have these nine characteristics: -- - <br></br> - Self interest, <br></br> - Self direction, <br></br> - Tolerance, <br></br>
- Acceptance of Uncertainty, <br></br>
- Flexibility, <br></br>
- Scientific thinking, <br></br>
- Commitment, <br></br>
- Risk Taking, &amp; <br></br>
- Self acceptance.</p>
<p>The non-believing intelligentsia could lack some of these traits but most of these characteristics are CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT in Religious people.</p>
<p>Religion is directly opposed to the goals…</p>
<p>A mentally healthy person has to have these nine characteristics: -- - <br/> - Self interest, <br/> - Self direction, <br/>
- Tolerance, <br/>
- Acceptance of Uncertainty, <br/>
- Flexibility, <br/>
- Scientific thinking, <br/>
- Commitment, <br/>
- Risk Taking, &amp; <br/>
- Self acceptance.</p>
<p>The non-believing intelligentsia could lack some of these traits but most of these characteristics are CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT in Religious people.</p>
<p>Religion is directly opposed to the goals of mental health—since it basically consists of masochism, other-directness, intolerance, refusal to accept uncertainty, unscientific thinking, needless inhibition, and self-abasement.</p>
<p>Let's take up each characteristic one by one &amp; show how this could happen:<br/> 1. SELF-INTEREST. The emotionally healthy individual should primarily be true to himself and not masochistically sacrifice himself for others. For religion, first of all, is not self-interest; it is god-interest. The very essence of most organized religions is the performance of masochistic, guilt-soothing rituals, by which the religious individual gives himself permission to enjoy life.</p>
<p>Religiosity, to a large degree, essentially is masochism; and both are forms of mental sickness.</p>
<p>2. SELF-DIRECTION. He should assume responsibility for his own life, be able independently to work out his own problems, and while at times wanting or preferring the cooperation and help of others, not having a desperate need for their support for his effectiveness and well-being. He is not overwhelmed by the problems he has. He suspects that others might have bigger problems.</p>
<p>As someone wisely said: If we wished to barter our problems with others and everyone threw their problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we would grab ours back and run!</p>
<p>Problems are to be treated as challenges and not as signal points for praying to gods. But if he is true to his religious beliefs he must first bow down to his gods; to the priests and third, to all the members of his religious sect, who are eagle-eyedly watching him to see whether he defects an iota from the conduct his gods define as proper.</p>
<p>The religious person is by necessity dependent and other-directed rather that independent and self-directed. If religion, therefore, is largely masochism, it is even more of dependency. For a man to be a true believer and to be strong and independent is impossible; religion and self-sufficiency are contradictory terms.</p>
<p>3. TOLERANCE. He should fully give other human beings the right to be wrong; and while disliking or abhorring some of their behavior, still not blame them, as persons, for performing this dislikeable behavior. He should accept the fact that all humans are remarkably fallible, never unrealistically expect them to be perfect, and refrain from despising or punishing them when they make inevitable mistakes and errors.</p>
<p>Tolerance again, is a trait that the firm religionist cannot possibly possess. Democracy, permissiveness, and the acceptance of human fallibility are quite alien to the real religionist—since he can only believe that the creeds and commands of his particular deity should, ought, and must be obeyed, and that anyone who disobeys them is patently a scoundrel.</p>
<p>Religion, then, by setting up absolute, god-given standards, must make you self-deprecating and dehumanized when you err; and must lead you to despise and dehumanize others when they act badly. This kind of absolutistic, perfectionistic thinking is the prime creator of the two most corroding of human emotions: anxiety and hostility.</p>
<p>4. ACCEPTANCE OF UNCERTAINTY. The emotionally mature individual should completely accept the fact that we live in a world of probability and chance, where there are not, nor probably ever will be, any absolute certainties, and should realize that it is not at all horrible, indeed—such a probabilistic, uncertain world is most conducive to free thought.</p>
<p>If one of the requisites for emotional health is acceptance of uncertainty, then religion is obviously the unhealthiest state imaginable: Since its prime reason for being is to enable the religionist to believe a mystical certainty.</p>
<p>Just because life is so uncertain, and because millions of people think that they cannot take its vicissitudes (unpredictability &amp; variability), they invent absolutistic gods, and thereby pretend that there is some final, invariant answer to things.</p>
<p>Patently, these people are fooling themselves—and instead of healthfully admitting that they do not need certainty, but can live comfortably in this often disorderly world, they stubbornly protect their neurotic beliefs by insisting that there must be the kind of certainty that they foolishly believe that they need.</p>
<p>This is like a child’s believing that he must have a kindly father in order to survive; and then, when his father is unkindly, or perhaps has died and is nonexistent, he dreams up a father (who may be a neighbour, a movie star, or a pure figment of his imagination) and he insists that this dream-father actually exists.</p>
<p>5. FLEXIBILITY. He should remain intellectually flexible, be open to change at all times, and unbigotedly i.e., without being dogmatic, view the infinitely varied people, ideas, and things in the world around him.</p>
<p>Just as religion is masochism, other-directedness, intolerance, and refusal to accept uncertainty, it also is mental and emotional inflexibility.</p>
<p>The trait of flexibility, which is so essential to proper emotional functioning, is also blocked and sabotaged by religious belief. For the person who dogmatically believes in gods, and who sustains this belief with a faith unfounded in fact, clearly is not open to change and is necessarily bigoted.</p>
<p>6. SCIENTIFIC THINKING. He should be objective, rational and scientific; and be able to apply the laws of logic and of scientific method not only to external people and events, but to himself and his interpersonal relationships.</p>
<p>In regard to scientific thinking, it practically goes without saying that this kind of brain-work is quite antithetical to religiosity. The main canon of the scientific method—as Ayer (1947), Carnap (1953), Reichenbach (1953), and a host of other modern philosophers of science have pointed out—is that, at least in some final analysis, or in principle, all theories be confirmable by some form of human experience, some empirical referent. But all religions which are worthy of the name contend that their superhuman entities cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, felt, or otherwise humanly experienced, and that their gods and their principles are therefore distinctly beyond science.</p>
<p>To believe in any of these religions, therefore, is to be unscientific at least to some extent; and it could be contended that the more religious one is, the less scientific one tends to be. Although a religious person need not be entirely unscientific, it is difficult to see how he could be perfectly scientific.</p>
<p>While a person may be both scientific and religious (as he may be at times sensible and at other times foolish) it is doubtful if an individual’s attitude may simultaneously be truly pious and objective.</p>
<p>7. COMMITMENT. He should be vitally absorbed in something outside of himself, whether it be people, things, or ideas; and should preferably have at least one major creative interest, as well as some outstanding human involvement, which is highly important to him, and around which he structures a good part of his life.</p>
<p>Religious commitment may well be better for a human being than no commitment to anything. For if he is truly religious, he is seriously committed to his gods or his creed; and to some extent, at least, he thereby acquires a major interest in life.<br/> Religious commitment also frequently has its serious disadvantages, since it tends to be obsessive-compulsive; and it may well interfere with other kinds of healthy commitments—such as deep involvements in sex-love relations, in scientific pursuits, and even in artistic endeavors. Not all forms of commitment, in other words, are equally healthy. The grand inquisitors of the medieval catholic church were utterly dedicated to their “holy” work, and Hitler and many of his associates were fanatically committed to their Nazi doctrines. But this hardly proves that they are emotionally healthy beings.</p>
<p>8. RISK-TAKING. The emotionally sound person should be able to take risks, to ask himself what he really would like to do in life, and then to try to do this, even though he has to risk defeat or failure. He should be adventurous (though not necessarily foolhardy); be willing to try almost anything once, just to see how he likes it; and look forward to some breaks in his usual life routines.</p>
<p>In regard to risk-taking, it should be obvious that the religious person is highly determined not to be adventurous nor to take any of life’s normal risks. He strongly believes in unvalidatable assumptions precisely because he does not want to risk following his own preferences and aims, but wants the guarantee that some higher power will back him.</p>
<p>All religions worthy of the names are distinctly inhibiting—which means, in effect, that the religious person sells his soul, surrenders his own basic urges and pleasures, so that he may feel comfortable with the heavenly helper that he himself has invented. Religion, then is needless inhibition.</p>
<p>9. SELF-ACCEPTANCE. It can also be called self-reliance or self-sufficiency.</p>
<p>He should normally be glad to be alive, and to like himself just because he is alive, because he exists, and because he (as a living being) invariably has some power to enjoy himself, to create happiness and joy. He should not equate his worth or value to himself on his extrinsic achievements, or on what others think of him, but on his personal existence; on his ability to think, feel, and act, and thereby to make some kind of an interesting &amp; absorbing life for himself.</p>
<p>It should again be clear that the religious devotee cannot possibly accept himself just because he is alive, because he exists and has, by mere virtue of his aliveness, some power to enjoy himself. Rather, he must make his self-acceptance utterly contingent on the acceptance of his definitional god, the priests or Gurus who also serve this god, and all other true believers in his religion.</p>
<p>If all these extrinsic persons and things accept him, he is able—and even then only temporarily and with continued underlying anxiety—to accept himself. Which means, of course, that he defines himself only through the reflected appraisals of others. Religion, for such an individual, consequently is self-abasement and self-abnegation.</p>
<p>CONCLUSION <br/> If we summarize what we have just been saying, the conclusion seems inescapable that religion is, on almost every conceivable count, directly opposed to the goals of mental health—since it basically consists of masochism, other-directness, intolerance, refusal to accept uncertainty, unscientific thinking, needless inhibition, and self-abasement.</p>
<p>In the one area where religion has some advantages in terms of emotional hygiene—that of encouraging hearty commitment to a cause or project in which the person may be vitally absorbed—it even tends to sabotage this advantage in two important ways:</p>
<p>(a) it drives most of its adherents to commit themselves to its tenets for the wrong reasons—that is, to cover up instead of to face and rid themselves of their basic insecurities like fear of death; and</p>
<p>(b) it encourages a fanatic, obsessive-compulsive kind of commitment that is, in its own right, a form of mental illness.<br/> This is not to say that it is a black &amp; white dichotomy. It is not as if secular people will score 10 out of 10 in each of these personality traits and the religious people will score 0 out of 10 in them. But the probability of scoring a consistent 6 or 7 is greater for Secular humanists.</p>
<p>HOW CAN WE CURE THIS SICKNESS IN PEOPLE? <br/> By the time people become adults, it might be too late to do anything to reverse this mental illness. Prevention is far better than cure. So the onus is on the parents to encourage their children to cultivate these 9 traits right from childhood and since children learn more from the examples set by parents than the precepts preached by them, they should act like exemplary role-models.</p>
<p>It is a huge responsibility but if we want our children &amp; Grandchildren to be mentally &amp; emotionally healthy &amp; happy, you can't afford to be the usual person who is petrified to rock the boat. You will have to exercise your intellect, question traditions and be a 'Trail blazer' at least for your family.</p>FREEDOM 'FROM' & FREEDOM 'TO'tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-10-01:2182797:BlogPost:27715532017-10-01T00:18:44.000ZV.N.K.Kumarhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/VNKKumar
<p>Sreeni: Prof. Kumar, one of my religious friends asked me about the real benefit of an Atheistic &amp; Secular outlook. All I could think of and say was this: “The journey toward Atheism is a quest for the truth, truth which can be empirically tested and for which you can gather evidence, however distressing &amp; frightening the truth might be. It could be the discovery that we humans are all alone, there are no souls, no afterlife &amp; no god(s) to help us”.</p>
<p>Me: That is correct.…</p>
<p>Sreeni: Prof. Kumar, one of my religious friends asked me about the real benefit of an Atheistic &amp; Secular outlook. All I could think of and say was this: “The journey toward Atheism is a quest for the truth, truth which can be empirically tested and for which you can gather evidence, however distressing &amp; frightening the truth might be. It could be the discovery that we humans are all alone, there are no souls, no afterlife &amp; no god(s) to help us”.</p>
<p>Me: That is correct. But there is one more benefit from Atheism &amp; its offshoot “Secular Humanism” and that is “Freedom”.</p>
<p>Sreeni: Freedom to do whatever one likes?</p>
<p>Me: Not really. Freedom is of two types. One is the ‘Freedom from’, which is freedom from Religion &amp; childhood indoctrination. Atheism gives you freedom from the compulsive urge to suck on the pacifier of Blind faith. That’s all. That is the kind of benefit you were talking about.</p>
<p>Sreeni: Well, what is the other type of freedom?</p>
<p>Me: Secular Humanism which is a magnificent 'add on' to Atheism implies the second type of freedom. ‘Freedom to’, which is freedom to do something useful in this 'only life' we have. It means having the sense to utilize the time, energy &amp; money saved from religious activities for enhancing our own happiness or enhancing the happiness of our family members or society at large.</p>
<p>Sreeni: So Atheism &amp; SH together can provide us with a 'purpose &amp; meaning' which religion alone over the last 100K years (The thousands of extinct primitive animisms &amp; the current 4200+ living religions) couldn’t provide.</p>
<p>Me: You are spot on Sreeni! Mere Atheism makes us a Naxalite, Marxist or a Periyarist (DK follower) but together with SH, it is the best thing which could have happened to science-savvy Homo-sapiens in the last 100K years of the existence of their species..</p>
<p>Sreeni: But tell me Prof. Kumar, what were the initial emotions in you when you felt you have lost faith in gods, soul, afterlife, reincarnation/rebirth &amp; the works?"</p>
<p>Me: Well, I soon realized that I was a free bird! I was accountable to myself, not to some divine voyeur constantly looking over my shoulder and marking down my every transgression, no matter how insignificant, to use against me later.</p>
<p>A picture came in front of my eyes. I am writing an exam and the invigilator is hovering near me and I find it extremely difficult to concentrate on my answers. Time is short and I still have to tackle many questions. But my mind goes blank. All of a sudden he disappears and I feel a sense of immense relief. My creative juices start flowing again."</p>
<p>Sreeni: That must have been a very liberating experience?</p>
<p>Me: You bet it was! You have to experience it to feel the joy of emancipation! Yet. Along with this freedom, there is a responsibility we are constrained to shoulder. That is why secular humanism is not for the great unwashed, who might go berserk and start murdering &amp; looting</p>
<p>Sreeni: What is that responsibility?</p>
<p>Me: Having concluded that God(s) are a delusion of the mind and if Gods are not ruling the world and ensuring that justice is done, taking care of needy people, guiding our priests and leaders, answering prayers, rewarding the good……. then each of us shoulders that much more of the responsibility for those things. In short, without God, our lives could become more responsible &amp; meaningful, because without an omnipotent God each individual must assume more responsibility for what happens.</p>
<p>Only right thinking humans in the biosphere can empower themselves and learn to save the environment, live in peace, love one another, help the poor and disadvantaged and help themselves too. The other constituents of the biosphere like animals, plant life or even self-centered human beings cannot do these things. Also the Jihadis cannot do this. All they know is how to increase entropy by killing people.</p>
<p>Realizing that belief in gods leads to a lack of responsibility, or belief in eternal life diminishes efforts to improve real lives on earth, as a secular humanist, you feel powerful like a god and as ' noblesse oblige ' you start treating others with compassion &amp; kindness. You do whatever you can to ease the misery in other people's lives. Since God is dead, you are constrained to assume the role of a “Badli worker” (substitute worker).</p>
<p>Sreeni: That's a colossal &amp; formidable responsibility if you ask me!</p>
<p>Me: You bet it is. But for a meaningful life assuming that role is essential. Isn't it?</p>Happy International Blasphemy Rights Day!tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-09-30:2182797:BlogPost:27714072017-09-30T18:31:31.000ZRichard E. Wackrowhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RichardEWackrow
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Happy International Blasphemy Rights Day!</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">To celebrate, I wrote a column for Daily Kos:</font></p>
<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">“It’s Time to Give Blasphemy the Respect it Deserves”</font></font> <a href="http://bit.ly/2kcOULg"><font color="#0000FF" face="Times New Roman" size="3">http://bit.ly/2kcOULg</font></a></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Blaspheme for the…</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Happy International Blasphemy Rights Day!</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">To celebrate, I wrote a column for Daily Kos:</font></p>
<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">“It’s Time to Give Blasphemy the Respect it Deserves”</font></font> <a href="http://bit.ly/2kcOULg"><font color="#0000FF" face="Times New Roman" size="3">http://bit.ly/2kcOULg</font></a></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Blaspheme for the Team!</font></p>
<p></p>